This is why I was never suited to studying Chinese poetry at university. How you get two lines of iambic pentameter out of 國破山河在, that work, then carry on in the same vein for the rest of the poem without totally unmooring yourself from the text, is actually beyond me. Thoroughly enjoyed that, and I can see why he's your favourite.
Thank you! This was one of the first poems where I got a really good version out, and it inspired me to keep producing more.
I still dream of finding some way in English to reproduce the majesty of those first two characters (My country's been broken?). But I'm pretty sure that's impossible, so I went with what seemed to be the next best thing: a form that yells out to the English reader, 'Here be important poetry!'
This is why I was never suited to studying Chinese poetry at university. How you get two lines of iambic pentameter out of 國破山河在, that work, then carry on in the same vein for the rest of the poem without totally unmooring yourself from the text, is actually beyond me. Thoroughly enjoyed that, and I can see why he's your favourite.
Thank you! This was one of the first poems where I got a really good version out, and it inspired me to keep producing more.
I still dream of finding some way in English to reproduce the majesty of those first two characters (My country's been broken?). But I'm pretty sure that's impossible, so I went with what seemed to be the next best thing: a form that yells out to the English reader, 'Here be important poetry!'
I'm glad you like it.