Oscar Dessauer
Ten boundless years now separate the living and the dead,
I have not often thought of her, but neither can I forget.
Her lonely grave is a thousand li distant, I can't say where my wife lies cold.
We could not recognize each other even if we met again,
My face is all but covered with dust, my temples glazed with frost.
In deepest night, a sudden dream returns me to my homeland,
She sits before a little window, and sorts her dress and make-up.
We look at each other without a word, a thousand lines of tears.
Must it be that every year I'll think of that heart-breaking place,
Where the moon shines brightly in the night, and bare pines guard the tomb.
I have not often thought of her, but neither can I forget.
Her lonely grave is a thousand li distant, I can't say where my wife lies cold.
We could not recognize each other even if we met again,
My face is all but covered with dust, my temples glazed with frost.
In deepest night, a sudden dream returns me to my homeland,
She sits before a little window, and sorts her dress and make-up.
We look at each other without a word, a thousand lines of tears.
Must it be that every year I'll think of that heart-breaking place,
Where the moon shines brightly in the night, and bare pines guard the tomb.
This image relates to the poem through a direct image of the feeling one has when reading the
passage.
passage.
Poem by Su Shi
Su Shi is a famous Chinese poet, known for his deep, emotional writing, and descriptions of life in his time. Su Shi dabbled in engineering and worked on some early hydraulic machines. Su Shi was born in the town of Meishan, china, on January 8th 1037, and died august 24 1101.
Su Shi uses figurative language in quite a few places, but almost every instance appears to be relating to himself in a sort of depressive state. The figurative language gives the poem it's melancholy feeling, and combined with the dark and sad word choices, it makes the whole poem mean so much more. As a reader, you can feel what the author is going through. The theme of the poem is how heavy the death of a loved one can be and the effects on your self it can have. The poem is not in any particular rhyme scheme, most likely due to the distraught nature of the author.
Su Shi uses figurative language in quite a few places, but almost every instance appears to be relating to himself in a sort of depressive state. The figurative language gives the poem it's melancholy feeling, and combined with the dark and sad word choices, it makes the whole poem mean so much more. As a reader, you can feel what the author is going through. The theme of the poem is how heavy the death of a loved one can be and the effects on your self it can have. The poem is not in any particular rhyme scheme, most likely due to the distraught nature of the author.
As much as I love the photo, does it really have that much to do with it? when I read the poem, I felt sort of drained, as if I where supposed to remember something, but that dog looks rather happy. Is the dog stuck in the forever knowledge that he will forever be just a watermelon? I know if I where him, I would be rather depressed, just watching my doggy pals playing and chasing balls, getting belly rubs, when alas, I have no belly. Just pink juicy insides. All I can do is roll. Reading back at this, ive answered my own question. In conclusion the dog is stuck in inner turmoil, as well as the author, Mr Su Shi.
ReplyDeleteThis poem does convey a feeling "melon-collie" in my opinion. Even the hard shell of the dog reflects the poets experience of being without his wife. That aside this poem being somber does work with figurative language in a dismal tone.
DeleteThank you Alexander, for I put a lot of thought into said image, and for my carefully chosen “champion” to be mocked is similar to that of spitting on my child, while his gentle hand is clenched in mine, asking “father, why does this man spit on thee?” To which I cannot reply, for I cannot bear to admit that his father is mocked.
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