I Ride My Carriage
- Poetry of Anonymous

《回车驾言迈》

中文原文( Chinese )

回车驾言迈，悠悠涉长道。

四顾何茫茫，东风摇百草。

所遇无故物，焉得不速老？

盛衰各有时，立身苦不早。

人生非金石，岂能长寿考？

奄忽随物化，荣名以为宝。

English Translation

I ride my carriage on my journey backward;

Far,far stretches the way onward.

When I look around the country path,

East winds are blowing at the weeds and grass.

The scenes no longer look what used to be;

True indeed how swiftly time will flee!

There is a rise and fall to things on earth;

A pity if man does not confirm his worth.

A man differs from the metal or stone

In that he has a short lifespan of his own.

When he dies,nothing will remain

But lasting reputation of his name.

Anonymous

- Last updated: 2024-08-19 14:44:08

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

List of Chinese poets