Analysis of Sorrow of Departure

Li Ching Chao 1804 (Jinan, Shandong) – 1155 (Shaoxing, Zhejiang)



Red lotus incense fades on
The jeweled curtain. Autumn
Comes again. Gently I open
My silk dress and float alone
On the orchid boat. Who can
Take a letter beyond the clouds?
Only the wild geese come back
And write their ideograms
On the sky under the full
Moon that floods the West Chamber.
Flowers, after their kind, flutter
And scatter. Water after
Its nature, when spilt, at last
Gathers again in one place.
Creatures of the same species
Long for each other. But we
Are far apart and I have
Grown learned in sorrow.
Nothing can make it dissolve
And go away. One moment,
It is on my eyebrows.
The next, it weighs on my heart.


Scheme ABCDEFGFHIIIJKLMNOPQRS
Poetic Form
Metre 1100111 011010 10110110 1110101 1010111 10100101 1001111 0111 1011001 1110110 10101110 0101010 1101111 1001011 1010110 1111011 1101011 11010 1011101 0101110 11111 0111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 634
Words 119
Sentences 13
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 22
Lines Amount 22
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 492
Words per stanza (avg) 117
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
107

Li Ching Chao

Li Qingzhao, pseudonym Householder of Yi'an (易安居士), was a Chinese poet and essayist during the Song dynasty.[2] She is considered one of the greatest poets in Chinese history. more…

All Li Ching Chao poems | Li Ching Chao Books

0 fans

Discuss this Li Ching Chao poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sorrow of Departure" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/25821/sorrow-of-departure>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    0
    days
    12
    hours
    20
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    From Ralph Waldo Emerson’s The Test, “Sunshine cannot _____ the snow, Nor time unmake what poets know.
    A leach
    B beseech
    C bleach
    D reach