Begging for Food
- Poetry of Tao Yuanming

《乞食》
Begging for Food by Tao Yuanming
中文原文( Chinese )

饥来驱我去，不知竟何之。

行行至斯里，叩门拙言辞。

主人解余意，遗赠岂虚来。

谈谐终日夕，觞至辄倾杯。

情欣新知欢，言咏遂赋诗。

感子漂母惠，愧我非韩才。

衔戢知何谢，冥报以相贻。

English Translation

Driven by hunger I seek for food and drink,

Not knowing where to go however hard I think.

I walk and walk till I come to a door;

I tap the door but stammer,plead,implore.

The host know why I come and what I need,

And gives me lots of solid food indeed.

Until sunset I chatter with the host 

And quaff the cup with him in cheers and toast.

I'm overjoyed to meet this gentle friend 

And write some verses for the time we spend.

You are kind as the dame who fed Han Xin.

Whose fame I am afraid I will not win.

If I fail to give him thanks in deed and word,

I will repay him in the netherworld.

Tao Yuanming

- Last updated: 2024-09-05 08:58:14
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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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