Staying Overnight with Xie Shihou in the Xu Family Library and Being Bothered By Hearing Rats
- Poetry of Mei Yaochen

《同谢师厚宿胥氏书斋闻鼠其患之》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 23:32:17

中文原文

灯青人已眠，饥鼠稍出穴。

掀翻盘盂响，惊聒梦寐辍。

唯愁几砚扑，又恐架书啮。

痴儿效猫鸣，此计诚已拙。

English Translation

The lamp is blue, the men are all asleep,

Hungry rats start to emerge from a hole.

The noise of tumbling cups and plates is loud,

I’m startled by the noise: my dream is ended.

I worry they’ll knock the inkstone from the table,

I’m frightened that they’ll gnaw the books on the shelf.

My silly boy tries to miaow like a cat:

That’s a really daft idea.

Mei Yaochen

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