薛涛诗
Poems of Xue Tao
Index
池上双鸟
A Pair of Birds upon the Waters
|
双栖绿池上 朝暮共飞还 更忆将雏日 同心莲叶间 |
This pair alights upon the green surface of the pond, Evening and morning, coming and going. In the night watches, they remember the nest to come, Their hearts mingling among the lotus leaves. |
-- 薛涛
废话
On the one hand, I think Xue Tao survives the ages by being accessible. She is not above her audience. Bai Juyi could take this point of view. But he towers above us. This is not criticism. The god of poetry should tower above mortals. Xue Tao is one of us. She has come up from the bottom by educating herself and writes poetry which is no deeper than a plain understanding of the world. Yet she has an art which often shines through. The third line is [night watches][remember][coming][chick][days]. Remembering the future only occurs to an uncommon mind.