Gabriel Barcarse
Soon now, we'll mark the year's end that approaches,
It's like a snake that crawls into a hole.
Already half its scaly length is hidden,
What man can stop us losing the last trace?
And even if we want to tie its tail,
No matter how we try, we can't succeed.
The children make all effort not to sleep,
We laugh together, watching through the night.
The cockerels should not cry the dawn for now,
The drums as well should give the hour respect.
We sat so long the lamp's burnt down to ash,
I rise and see the Plough is slanting north.
Next year, perhaps, my span of years could end,
My fear is that I've just been marking time.
So exert ourselves to the utmost here tonight,
I still admire the exuberance of our youth!
Source: http://www.chinese-poems.com
Source: Wikimedia
The wilting flower in the sun connects to the poem by how as time passes, you get older and each year, you get closer to death. The sunlit background of the image represents the celebration and enjoyment of our youth in the present.
It's like a snake that crawls into a hole.
Already half its scaly length is hidden,
What man can stop us losing the last trace?
And even if we want to tie its tail,
No matter how we try, we can't succeed.
The children make all effort not to sleep,
We laugh together, watching through the night.
The cockerels should not cry the dawn for now,
The drums as well should give the hour respect.
We sat so long the lamp's burnt down to ash,
I rise and see the Plough is slanting north.
Next year, perhaps, my span of years could end,
My fear is that I've just been marking time.
So exert ourselves to the utmost here tonight,
I still admire the exuberance of our youth!
Source: http://www.chinese-poems.com
Source: Wikimedia
The wilting flower in the sun connects to the poem by how as time passes, you get older and each year, you get closer to death. The sunlit background of the image represents the celebration and enjoyment of our youth in the present.
- Born in Meishan in the province of Sichuan in China
- Su Shi had three wives and they all passed away
- Early education was under a Taoist priest
- Su Shi was exiled and banished to Hubei Province
- Passed high civil service examinations and received high honors
Source: Wikipedia
The year is ending and there isn't anything we can do to stop it from ending. We stay up all night to try and not reach the end, but we must celebrate our youth at the moment. The speaker is either an old man or Su Shi himself. In the poem, the speaker talks about how they could die next year and that they haven't been valuing time, expressing old age. The speaker's use of the simile, "It's like a snake that crawls into a hole," emphasizes the year almost completely gone because of the snake disappearing in complete darkness, never to be seen again. The use of the metaphor, "And even if we want to tie its tail,
No matter how we try, we can't succeed," reinforces the idea that the people trying to stop the year from going away, but can't because it is impossible to stop time. The use of the words "exert" and "utmost" in the line, "so let us exert ourselves to the utmost here tonight," indicate excitement and energy in the poem. The speaker's use of the word "exuberance," emphasize strong feelings of emotion and energy towards their youth. The use of no rhyme scheme throughout the poem shows the broken connection or unification of time and the people due to the people not being able to control the passing of time. Having no stanza division in the poem provides support to the idea that all the people are together and unified, but not being able to be unified and controlling of time. The tone of the poem seems sneaky at the beginning, then calm in the middle, and triumphant at the end. The beginning of the poems talks all about a snake that is crawling in a hole and already has half its scales gone, indicating how time passes by fast without realization. In the middle, the poem is about the people enjoying the end of the year, and the end is triumphant because of the speaker being proud of their youth. The theme of the poem is that time is precious and is an inevitable and uncontrollable force that brings happiness at youth.
The year is ending and there isn't anything we can do to stop it from ending. We stay up all night to try and not reach the end, but we must celebrate our youth at the moment. The speaker is either an old man or Su Shi himself. In the poem, the speaker talks about how they could die next year and that they haven't been valuing time, expressing old age. The speaker's use of the simile, "It's like a snake that crawls into a hole," emphasizes the year almost completely gone because of the snake disappearing in complete darkness, never to be seen again. The use of the metaphor, "And even if we want to tie its tail,
No matter how we try, we can't succeed," reinforces the idea that the people trying to stop the year from going away, but can't because it is impossible to stop time. The use of the words "exert" and "utmost" in the line, "so let us exert ourselves to the utmost here tonight," indicate excitement and energy in the poem. The speaker's use of the word "exuberance," emphasize strong feelings of emotion and energy towards their youth. The use of no rhyme scheme throughout the poem shows the broken connection or unification of time and the people due to the people not being able to control the passing of time. Having no stanza division in the poem provides support to the idea that all the people are together and unified, but not being able to be unified and controlling of time. The tone of the poem seems sneaky at the beginning, then calm in the middle, and triumphant at the end. The beginning of the poems talks all about a snake that is crawling in a hole and already has half its scales gone, indicating how time passes by fast without realization. In the middle, the poem is about the people enjoying the end of the year, and the end is triumphant because of the speaker being proud of their youth. The theme of the poem is that time is precious and is an inevitable and uncontrollable force that brings happiness at youth.
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