Changing on Old Friends in A Village Inn
- Poetry of Dai Shulun

《客夜与故人偶集》

中文原文( Chinese )

天秋月又满，城阙夜千重。

还作江南会，翻疑梦里逢。

风枝惊暗鹊，露草泣寒蛩。

羁旅长堪醉，相留畏晓钟。

English Translation

While the autumn moon is pouring full

On a thousand night-levels among towns and villages,

There meet by chance, south of the river,

Dreaming doubters of a dream....

In the trees a wind has startled the birds,

And insects cower from cold in the grass;

But wayfarers at least have wine

And nothing to fear -- till the morning bell.

Five-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-05-04 11:29:09

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