Spring Lament
Shoo the oriole away;
Do not let it sing on the branch.
Its song startles me from my dream,
Keeping me from reaching Liaoxi.
Notes
“Shoo” means to startle the bird away. Qie is a woman’s self-reference; Liaoxi is a historical region west of the Liao River. The poem does not specify whom the dreamer hopes to see.
Meaning
The speaker wants an oriole to be quiet because its song wakes her before her dream can reach Liaoxi.
Appreciation
The poem begins with an unexpected action and reveals its reasons one line at a time.
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The bird is chased away because its song disturbs a dream.
The final place name suggests longing across a distance, while leaving the person there unnamed.
Follow the chain of “why” questions to see how the short poem unfolds.
About the poet
Jin Changxu was a Tang poet; little secure information about his life and dates survives.
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Spring Lament, also transmitted under another title, is among his best-known surviving poems.
The surviving biographical record is too limited for a detailed account.