dankodes | Little Primer of Du Fu, Poems 16-20

This is week 4/7 on David Hawkes' Little Primer of Du Fu. I'll replicate the poems themselves here, but this book contains considerable exegesis, so I do advise you to grab this copy.

This week we're reading poems 16 through 20, inclusive.

How to Read Chinese Poetry (https://dankodes.dreamwidth.org/1483.html?thread=16843#cmt16843) has two chapters on forms Du Fu uses extensively:

Ch 8, Recent Style Shi Poetry, Pentasyllabic Regulated Verse (Wuyan Lüshi)

Ch 9, Recent Style Shi Poetry, Heptasyllabic Regulated Verse (Qiyan Lüshi)

Three other chapters on other verse forms Du Fu sometimes employs, or which people quoting Du Fu employ, also mention him:

Ch 10, Recent Style Shi Poetry, Quatrains (Jueju): some mention of Du Fu’s “Three Quatrains, No. 3”

Ch 14, Ci Poetry, Long Song Lyrics on Objects (Yongwu Ci): some mention of Du Fu's “Beautiful Lady” (Jiaren)

Ch 18, A Synthesis: Rhythm, Syntax, and Vision of Chinese Poetry: some mention of Du Fu’s poem “The Jiang and Han Rivers”

Additional Reading for this Week: Chapter 9

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

客至
Kè zhì

舍南舍北皆春水
1. Shè-nán shè-běi jiē chūn shuǐ,
但見群鷗日日來
2. Dàn jiàn qún-ōu rì-rì lái.
花徑不曾緣客掃
3. Huā-jìng bù-céng yuán kè sǎo,
蓬門今始為君開
4. Péng-mén jīn shǐ wèi jūn kāi.
盤飱市遠無兼味
5. Pán sūn shì yuǎn wú jiān wèi,
樽酒家貧只舊醅
6. Zūn jiǔ jiā pín zhǐ jiù pēi.
肯與鄰翁相對飲
7. Kěn yǔ lín-wēng xiāng-duì yǐn,
隔籬呼取盡餘杯
8. Gé lí hū-qǔ jìn yú bēi.

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG2f7sk2yRM

The Guest

The waters of springtime flow north and south of my dwelling. Only the flocks of gulls come daily to call on me. I have not swept my flower-strewn path for a visitor, and my wicker-gate opens the first time today for you. Because the market is far away, the dishes I serve you offer little variety; and because this is a poor household, the only wine in my jars comes from an old brewing. If you are willing to sit and drink with my old neighbour, I shall call to him over the fence to come and finish off the remaining cupfuls with us.

“The waters of springtime flow north and south of my dwelling” what’s this do?

Interesting point re fresh wine

Baike explains that this means that the house is surrounded by beautiful scenery (the water) all around, how the river is vast and extending to the distance

Baike thinks the guest is fictitious, which is interesting because thus far they've usually at least vaguely touched on Hawkes's points.

Little Primer of Du Fu, Poems 16-20

17. 客至 Kè zhì

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Re: 17. 客至 Kè zhì

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