孟郊诗

Poems of Meng Jiao


Index

酬郑毗踯躅咏

Repaying Zheng for his help with a poem I was hesitating over


不似人手致
岂关地势偏
孤光袅馀翠
独影舞多妍

It's not as if human hands can set things right,
As if we could alter the forms of the earth.
A single sunbeam gracefully produces luster.
A lone shadow and many beauties dance.

迸火烧闲地
红星堕青天
忽惊物表物
嘉客为留连

Burst of flame scorches the idle earth.
Red star falls in the black sky.
Suddenly all things are connected and
An honored guest is reluctant to leave.

-- 孟郊


废话

There is a Chinese idiom 留连论诗, "to discuss a poem over a long period of time." Imagine doing that. Imagine that activity being an important activity for you and your friends. Imagine poetry as significant to all educated people. Imagine being cultured. Now imagine writing your friend a thank-you note that would last 1400 years and ask yourself where you are in your life now. The Tang poets weren't given the world they lived in. They made it. We make ours.


Index