I Climb to the Leyou Tombs Before Leaving for Wuxing
- Poetry of Du Mu

《将赴吴兴登乐游原一绝》

- Last updated: 2024-05-15 10:38:08

中文原文

清时有味是无能，闲爱孤云静爱僧。

欲把一麾江海去，乐游原上望昭陵。

English Translation

Even in this good reign, how can I serve?

The lone cloud rather, the Buddhist peace....

Once more, before crossing river and sea,

I face the great Emperor's mountain-tomb.

Seven-character-quatrain

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