A Solitary Wildgoose
- Poetry of Cui Tu

《孤雁-其二》

中文原文( Chinese )

几行归塞尽，念尔独何之。

暮雨相呼失，寒塘欲下迟。

渚云低暗度，关月冷相随。

未必逢矰缴，孤飞自可疑。

English Translation

Line after line has flown back over the border.

Where are you headed all by yourself?

In the evening rain you call to them --

And slowly you alight on an icy pond.

The low wet clouds move faster than you

Along the wall toward the cold moon.

...If they caught you in a net or with a shot,

Would it be worse than flying alone?

Five-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-05-05 19:39:30

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