孟郊诗
Poems of Meng Jiao
Index
偶作
Poem for a Chance Meeting
|
利剑不可近 美人不可亲 利剑近伤手 美人近伤身 |
I don't do well with a sword. And I do worse with women. With a sword, I cut myself. With women, I do worse. |
|
道险不在广 十步能摧轮 情爱不在多 一夕能伤神 |
The dangerous roads are not so long. Ten steps will suffice to do you in. Real love doesn't come too often. One night and you spirit is broken. |
-- 孟郊
废话
I'd say this is a mature Meng Jiao, still on the road, not yet remarried, in his thirties. No self-pity here. He's just saying that's how it is for him. I still think that he remains quite young inside. But he's wearing it well. Getrude Stein said that forever and always, we are young men and women. It's not a bad thing. I also take this poem as a vindication of my thinking that Meng Jiao is idealistically a swordsman but would never strap one on. He has done and it didn't suit him.