Village Night
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《村夜》
Village Night by Bai Juyi
中文原文( Chinese )

霜草苍苍虫切切，村南村北行人绝。

独出门前望夜田，月明荞麦花如雪。

English Translation

Frosted grass, a lonely grey. Insects chirping low.

In all the village, North and South, travellers are home.

Out alone, before the gates, I gaze on night's dark fields.

Bright, the moon, and here below, barley flowers like snow.

Bai Juyi is the first Chan poet. And as "The God of Poetry," he is the measure of all Zen poetry. He stands, fully aware, in the middle of his poetry. His individuality is always there, as it should be. Bai Juyi shows us there is absolutely more to what we are than the impermanent self.

- Last updated: 2024-11-01 11:12:01
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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.

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