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贺知章
七言绝句
Character explanations
Click on a character in the poem to display its explanation here.
少
«young (as a child)». 少小 «very young».
小
«small, young». 少小 «in childhood».
离
«to leave, to go away from». 离家 «to leave home».
家
«house, home». 离家 «to leave one's home».
老
«old, aged». 老大 «having grown old».
大
«great; advanced in age». 老大回 «to return old».
回
«to return, to come back». 回 «the return home».
乡
«native land». 乡音 «the accent of home».
音
«sound, accent». 乡音 «native pronunciation».
无
«to not have, without». 无改 «without change».
改
«to change, to alter». 无改 «has not changed».
鬓
«temples, hair at the temples». 鬓毛 «the hair at the temples».
毛
«hair, fine hair». 鬓毛 «the temple hair».
衰
«to decline, to thin». 鬓毛衰 «the temples have greyed/thinned».
儿
«child». 儿童 «the children».
童
«child, young boy». 儿童 «the young children».
相
«(each other) mutually». 相见 «to meet each other».
见
«to see, to meet». 相见 «to see each other».
不
«not». 不相识 «not to recognise each other».
相
«mutually». 相识 «to know each other».
识
«to know, to recognise». 不相识 «do not recognise (me)».
笑
«to laugh, to smile». 笑问 «to ask while laughing».
问
«to ask, to question». 笑问 «they ask».
客
«guest, stranger». 客 refers here to the poet, perceived as a visitor.
从
«from, since». 从何处 «from where».
何
«what, which». 何处 «what place».
处
«place, location». 何处 «from where».
来
«to come». 从何处来 «where do you come from?».
Literal Translation
I left young, I return old;
My native accent unchanged, but my temples have greyed.
The children see me without recognising me;
Laughing, they ask: «Where does this guest come from?»
Historical and Biographical Context
The title, 回乡偶书 (), «Notes Written at Random on Returning to My Homeland», conveys the mixed emotion of an old man rediscovering a place where he has become a stranger.
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
Seven-character quatrain. The first two lines sum up an entire life (departure / return, unchanged accent / aged body); the last two capture a vivid and concrete scene.
Imagery and Symbolism
The unchanged accent and the greyed temples contrast what remains (deep identity) with what time has taken away (youth).
Movement and Gesture
The children's laughing question — «where do you come from?» — abruptly overturns the situation: at home, the poet is taken for a stranger.
Language and Tone
Simple and familiar language; the tone blends tenderness, humour and melancholy, without pathos.
Main Themes
The Passage of Time
An entire life is contained in the contrast between departure and return.
Inner Exile
Having returned home, the poet has become a stranger there: one can be a foreigner on one's own land.
The Permanence of Origin
Despite everything, the native accent endures: it remains an unbreakable bond with one's homeland.
