Chance Respite
- Poetry of Li Ye

《偶居》
Chance Respite by Li Ye
中文原文( Chinese )

心远浮云知不还，心云并在有无间。

狂风何事相摇荡，吹向南山复北山。

English Translation

Distant heart floats in the clouds. I know it won't return.

Our cloud hearts, together as one, know no distance.

What if this same gale blows us both ungently?

It blows from this Southern Hill back to Mount Mang.

She is in the monastery at Southern Hill. He is in the far clouds, never to return. He could be her late husband, couldn't he? The never-returning love. Mount Mang is by the old capital, Luoyang. Perhaps it meant something to them both.

- Last updated: 2024-11-06 17:16:51
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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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