Friend
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《和人》
Friend by Yu Xuanji
中文原文( Chinese )

茫茫九陌无知己，暮去朝来典绣衣。

宝匣镜昏蝉鬓乱，博山炉暖麝烟微。

多情公子春留句，少思文君昼掩扉。

莫惜羊车频列载，柳丝梅绽正芳菲。

English Translation

Distant ridges in misty fields, no close friends.

Time flies and I am invested in embroidered robes.

I take my mirror from its box to find my hair's a mess.

Green hills, warm stove, thick incense smoke.


I am deeply moved to find the mighty remember me.

I miss you a little and write you as light fades in my door.

Don't begrudge me the goat cart. Don't frown at these lines.

Shedding willows, bursting plums, so much fragrance.

In line 5, 公子 means "son of royalty." Perhaps Yu Xuanji's father was highly placed and as a child she knew a prince's son as a playmate. These things happen. This could be the same friend from the titles of poems 13 and 17. Her discretion keeps us from knowing who he is. or there might be more than one friend out there.

- Last updated: 2025-02-28 18:16:11
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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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