LRJ #4: Chinese Poetry

Sarita Beekie
Ms. Peifer
10 IB - Hour 5
14 April 2009

LRJ #4: Chinese Poetry

The compilation of historical Chinese poetry called the Book of Songs consists of 305 poems, two of these poems are, "O Oriole, Yellow Bird" and "What Plant is Not Faded?". A very apparent similarity in these two poems is the use of repetition which is used to emphasize the emotion that the poet is writing in. In the poem, "O Oriole, Yellow Bird", the narrator repeats at the end of every stanza that he, "must go back, go home to [his] own land and kin" (Waley 8) or some variation of this lament. This is because the narrator is currently in a foreign and unpleasant land, where, "the people...are not minded to nurture [him]" (Waley 5-7). Also, "one can come to no covenant [with the people of this land]" (Waley 12), and "one can come come to no understanding [with these people]" (Waley 19). In the second poem, "What Plant is Not Faded?" the second and third stanzas consists of the line, "Alas, for us soldiers" (Waley 7) which suits the overall theme of the poem perfectly, because the theme of the poem deals with the hardships of a soldier's life.

In Li Po's poem, "Quiet Night Thoughts", Li Po uses the imagery of him falling asleep and dreaming to convey a serene, peaceful, and secluded mood. In his poem, "Letter to His Two Small Children", the prominent emotions conveyed in this piece include remorse and longing. Prime examples of these emotions are apparent in the verses,"This is the tree I myself put in when I left you, nearly three years past; A peach tree now, level with the eaves, and I sailing cannot yet turn home!" (Waley 11-14) and, "I dreamt like this till my wits went wild, by such yearning daily burned within; so tore some silk, wrote this distant pang from me to you living at Wen Yang…" (Waley 22-25).

Letter to Our Bàbà

Between us is the Wu River's white foam
You're so far away, away from home.
But alone with nature, your soul is free,
While we're waiting by the peach tree.

We've kept good health and have grown quite tall
The colored leaves were quite lovely last fall.
Time has been our friend, not enemy,
While we're waiting by the peach tree.

Through your journey away, the world is shown
That our family is built on solid stone.
Until our reunion, we hope that happy you will be,
While we're waiting by the peach tree.