Lamentations
- Poetry of Cao Zhi

《七哀诗》
Lamentations by Cao Zhi
中文原文( Chinese )

明月照高楼，流光正徘徊。

上有愁思妇，悲叹有余哀。

借问叹者谁？言是宕子妻。

君行逾十年，孤妾常独栖。

君若清路尘，妾若浊水泥。

浮沉各异势，会合何时谐？

愿为西南风，长逝入君怀。

君怀良不开，贱妾当何依？

English Translation

The moon is shining o'er the hall aglow;

Its crystal light is moving quiet and slow.

There is a lady in deep distress upstairs,

Who sighs and sighs,in deep grief and despairs.


Who is she that leads so sad a life?

The answer is,she is a rover's wife.

Since her man left home a dozen years ago,

She has been living quite alone in woe.


"You're like the dust that flies high in the air 

While I'm like the mud that sinks down there.

Now that we are indeed a world apart,

When can we meet and talk heart to heart?

Oh that I be a breeze blowing south and west 

That travels a long distance into your breast.

If you don't want to bare your breast to me,

On whom shall I rely and what shall I be?"

Cao Zhi

- Last updated: 2024-12-02 18:03:49
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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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