Which Way? by Ada Gu

Which way?
by Ada Gu

Dusk merges into night, the sky aglow
The night is deep, silence reigns
The moon sits still, quiet, all alone
I’m trapped, not knowing which road to take

This is written in the Chinese form of jue ju, and the original is in chinese as seen in my calendar but my computer cannot type Chinese so I only have the English translation. This poem is meant to have 5 or 7 syllables when read in chinese and typically has four lines. It usually portrays a setting or mood, and in this case, it represents a mood of indecision and being lost. It has to do with my theme as the traveller is alone and trapped in his lack of direction. I love chinese poems, especially when read in the original language because fewer words can speak so many more ideas and thoughts. Where in english 5 or 7 syllables is usually an incomplete phrase or thought, in chinese, it is enough to express many complete ideas in a beautiful and lilting fashion.
The adjectives and nouns describe a quiet, deep setting, with a somewhat dark but beautiful mood. The man is unsure of his fate, of the road he should take and his only witness is the dark and the lonely moon.