The mistake in love
- Poetry of Cao Xueqin

《终身误》

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 20:47:39

The mistake in love by Cao Xueqin
中文原文

都道是金玉良缘，俺只念木石前盟。

空对着，山中高士晶莹雪；终不忘，世外仙姝寂寞林。

叹人间，美中不足今方信。

纵然是齐眉举案，到底意难平。

English Translation

They said she and i are the best lovers,

but i just yearned for that frail girl.

Played with her every night,but my heart only opened for her.

now i finally found that everything is imperfect,

even i had a beautiful wife,she is still the only one twinkles my soul.

The mistake in love: 终 身误 ,it's also a poem from"Dream of the Red Chamber".Lin Daiyu died soon for yearning Jia Baoyu,So Jia's parents let he get married with a rich girl Xue Baochai(薛宝钗).Xue is a beautiful and clever wife,but in Jia Baoyu's heart,he only falls in love with Lin Daiyu even Lin had died.So he wrote this poem to confess his love and yearning to the dead first lover-Lin Daiyu

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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.

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