On Leaving the Tomb of Premier Fang
- Poetry of Du Fu

《别房太尉墓》

- Last updated: 2024-04-26 16:11:37

中文原文

他乡复行役，驻马别孤坟。

近泪无干土，低空有断云。

对棋陪谢傅，把剑觅徐君。

唯见林花落，莺啼送客闻。

English Translation

Having to travel back now from this far place,

I dismount beside your lonely tomb.

The ground where I stand is wet with my tears;

The sky is dark with broken clouds....

I who played chess with the great Premier

Am bringing to my lord the dagger he desired.

But I find only petals falling down,

I hear only linnets answering.

Five-character-regular-verse

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