Sparrows in the Wild Field
- Poetry of Cao Zhi

《野田黄雀行》

中文原文( Chinese )

高树多悲风，海水扬其波。

利剑不在掌，结友何须多？

不见篱间雀，见鹞自投罗？

罗家得雀喜，少年见雀悲。

拔剑捎罗网，黄雀得飞飞。

飞飞摩苍天，来下谢少年。

English Translation

Powerful winds will blow at lofty trees;

Violent waves will roar in mighty seas.

As the sword of power is not in my hand,

It is no good to make friends in the land.

Don't you see the sparrow on the hedge

Snared while fleeing a falcon pulling fledge?

While the snarer is glad to catch the sparrow,

The young man feels sorry for the sparrow.

When he draws the sword and cut the snare,

The sparrow is set free to cut the air.

The sparrow soars as high as eyes can span

And then returns to thank the kind young man.

Cao Zhi

- Last updated: 2024-08-08 15:41:48

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