Song of a Southern Country-Reflections on Ascending the Tower on the Norther Hill at Jingkou
- Poetry of Xin Qiji

《南乡子·登京口北固亭有怀》
Song of a Southern Country-Reflections on Ascending the Tower on the Norther Hill at Jingkou by Xin Qiji
中文原文( Chinese )

何处望神州？满眼风光北固楼。

千古兴亡多少事？

悠悠。不尽长江滚滚流。

年少万兜鍪，坐断东南战未休。

天下英雄谁敌手？

曹刘。生子当如孙仲谋。

English Translation

Where is the Central Plain?

I gaze beyond the Northern Tower in vain.

It has seen dynasties fall and rise 

As time flies

Or as the endless River rolls before my eyes.


While young.Sun had ten thousand men at his command,

Steeled in battles,he defend'd the southeastern land.

Among his equals in the world,who were heroes true 

But Cao and Liu?

And even Cao would have a son like Sun Zhong-mou.

This is another lyric written by the old govemor of Jingkou who ascended the Northern Tower overlooking the Yangtze River and gazed from afar on the lost Central Plain beyond the Northern shore.

Sun(Sun Quan or Sun Zhong-mou).Cao(CaoCao)and Liu (Liu Bei)were three kings of the Three-Kingdom Period(220-280).

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 20:46:17
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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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