On River Han
- Poetry of Du Fu

《江汉》

- Last updated: 2024-03-29 16:42:48

On River Han by Du Fu
中文原文

江汉思归客，乾坤一腐儒。

片云天共远，永夜月同孤。

落日心犹壮，秋风病欲苏。

古来存老马，不必取长途。

English Translation

On River Han my home thoughts fly,

Bookworm with worldly ways in fright.

The cloud and I share the vast sky;

I’m lonely as the moon all night,

My heart won’t sink with sinking sun;

Autumn wind blows illness away.

A jaded horse may not have done,

Though it cannot go a long way.

The poem describes what the poet saw and felt while wandering in the area of Jianghan, and how he did not become pessimistic and depressed due to his difficult situation and old age, and concentrates on the spirit of “a martyr in his twilight years has a strong heart.

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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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