孟郊诗
Poems of Meng Jiao
Index
暮秋感思
Late Autumn, Missing You
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西风吹垂杨 条条脆如藕 上有噪日蝉 催人成皓首 |
West winds blow the lifting willows, Each branch brittle as lotus root. Upon them are a racket of cicadas, Urging men to achieve old age. |
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亦恐旅步难 何独朱颜丑 欲慰一时心 莫如千日酒 |
I'm afraid this journey will be hard. Why does only the beautiful turn ugly? I want someone to comfort me Not just three more years of drinking. |
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优哉遵渚鸿 自得养身旨 不啄太仓粟 不饮方塘水 |
It's these island geese I hold in high esteem, Content to nurture their own life, Not eating from the government granaries, Nor drinking from the city waterworks. |
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振羽戛浮云 罝罗任徒尔 |
With wings piercing the floating clouds, Nets and traps are left behind. |
-- 孟郊
废话
It sounds to me like Meng Jiao is still missing the lover who didn't mind his leaving. Apparently, he's been drinking for three years since he left her. Which makes him thirty-five years old in this poem. Although, given that his fame as a poet is rising and that he continues to work, it's not as if he spent the last three years staggering drunk and becoming a cautionary tale of wasted affection. But his solace has apparently come from the bottle rather than a new pair of arms. Isn't love amazing?