Seeing off Du Shisi South of the River
- Poetry of Meng Haoran

《送杜十四之江南 / 送杜晃进士之东吴》

- Last updated: 2024-03-16 15:32:55

中文原文

荆吴相接水为乡，君去春江正淼茫。

日暮征帆何处泊，天涯一望断人肠。

English Translation

Jingzhou and Dongwu are both on the water,

You travel down the river in spring, now the level is high.

A sail is underway at sunset, what place will it moor?

Looking to the end of the sky can break a man's heart.

By Meng Haoran

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