The lotus flowers gently dance in the wind
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《采莲曲》

- Last updated: 2024-03-25 09:44:23

中文原文

菱叶萦波荷飐风，荷花深处小船通。

逢郎欲语低头笑，碧玉搔头落水中。

English Translation

The lotus flowers gently dance in the wind,

a skiff flies on the little pond.

Encounter him,i lower my head,shyly smile.

into the water unwittingly my hairpin falls.

By Bai Juyi

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

List of Chinese poets