A Trooper's Burden
- Poetry of Liu Zhongyong

《征怨》

- Last updated: 2024-05-14 21:12:28

中文原文

岁岁金河复玉关，朝朝马策与刀环。

三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山。

English Translation

For years, to guard the Jade Pass and the River of Gold,

With our hands on our horse-whips and our swordhilts,

We have watched the green graves change to snow

And the Yellow Stream ring the Black Mountain forever.

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