Remembering Strong Emotions
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《感怀寄人》
Remembering Strong Emotions by Yu Xuanji
中文原文( Chinese )

恨寄朱弦上，含情意不任。

早知云雨会，未起蕙兰心。

灼灼桃兼李，无妨国士寻。

苍苍松与桂，仍羡世人钦。

月色苔阶净，歌声竹院深。

门前红叶地，不扫待知音。

English Translation

I find myself full of hate

for this vermilion lute

when I know perfectly well

how much I ought to love it

remembering clouds and rain—

our passionate affair

I shouldn't be stirring up

those lost perfumes

gifted disciples—

brilliant plums and peaches

nothing should hurt the career

of such an eminent scholar

dark green pines

vast and hazy laurels

admiration coming in

from people all over the world

the moonlight colors the moss

on the clear steps of the terrace

sound of a voice that's singing

deep in a bamboo courtyard

red leaves all over the ground

and heaped against the door

not to be cleared away

until he comes to visit.

Five-character poem

This is another poem, from her last year or so, which indicates Yu Xuanji knows she is dying. Pines are a symbol of long life and they are passing beyond her expectations. Laurel groves also have something to do with Daoist virtue and she no longer expects to achieve this either. She knew which road she wanted and took it. But she didn't reach the end. Of course, who does? You can practice what she practiced for eight decades and the end of the road is still 仓仓天涯遥, beyond the distant edge of Heaven.

- Last updated: 2024-12-25 21:16:14
· Pre： Early Autumn
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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