Mastering Chinese Poetry: A Song of White Snow

A song of white snow and farewell to field clerk Wu going home. The north wind rolls the white grasses and breaks them. And the eighth-month snow across the tartar sky is like a spring gale come up in the night. Blowing open the petals of ten thousand pear trees, it enters the portal blinds and wets the silk curtains. A fur coat feels cold, a cotton-made flimsy. Bows become rigid and can hardly be drawn, and the metal of armor congeals on the men. The sand-sea deepens with fathomless size, and darkness masses its endless clouds. But we drink till our guests bound home from camp, and play him barbarian lutes, guitars, and harps. Till at dusk, when the drifts are crushing our tents, now frozen red flags cannot flutter in the wind. We watch him through a wheeled tower gate going eastward, into the snow mounds of Heaven Peak Road. And then he disappears at the turn of the path, leaving behind him only hoofprints. Welcome to our new episode of Mastering Chinese Poetry. Let's delve deeper into this poem. From the title A Song of White Snow and Farewell to Field Clerk Wu Going Home, we can tell that the poem we are looking at today revolves around two primary themes, snow and leave-taking. The combination is believed to bring out the best in each concept, making this poem the only one of its kind among seven character Asian verses of the Tang Dynasty. Written by Tang Dynasty poet Chen Shen, this piece depicts a spectacular scene of snow in August, while simultaneously bidding farewell to a fellow official in the west region of China. The openings are so famous that they are frequently cited even today. The north wind grows the white grasses and breaks them, and the eighth-month snow across the total sky is like a spring gale come up in the night. Blowing open the petals of 10,000 pear trees, these four lines describe a magnificent scene. In the span of the night, the land is clad in silvery white. The poet is so impressed by the view that he draws a parallel between the fresh fallen snow on the branches and pear blossoms in full bloom in spring. The reference to the eighth-month snow highlights that snow falls early in the season in the region, as well as the poet's pleasure at seeing the early snow. In the following sentences, the poet reflects on the freezing temperature so cold that even fur offers no warmth, and metal armor stiffens on the wearer. In the last stanza, the reader can sense the wistfulness in the farewell. The friend has disappeared, leaving only hoofprints to show that he was there. The poet is sad to see his friend go, but is perhaps wondering he himself can return home. There are plenty of Tang Dynasty poems that have one universal phrase. However, this one stands out as having withstood the test of time, and winning the hearts of both the young and old in contemporary times. What poems come to mind when you wake up to fresh fallen snow? Share them with us below.