Immersed

Author: Zheng Daoyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This long poem, nearly 6,000 lines, depicts the three periods of love in the protagonist's life: the first is his initial, passionate, and eventual breakup with Baiyun, the daughter of a general and a military doctor, during his time in the army; the second is his numb love with Siqin, the daughter of his neighbor, after returning to the pastoral area; the third is his bitter love with Yingchun, the daughter of a professor, after passing the university entrance exam. The poem is divided into 8 chapters and over 360 sections, with each section containing 3 paragraphs. The long poem is rich in lyrical expression, with each subsection and paragraph essentially being an independent lyrical poem, yet all seamlessly integrated into the larger structure, indispensable, and naturally fascinating.