Drunken Sleep
- Poetry of Du Mu

《醉眼》

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 15:04:13

中文原文

秋醪雨中熟，寒斋落叶中。

幽人本多睡，更酌一樽空。

English Translation

The beer's brewed well amid the autumn rain,

The cold house sits amid the falling leaves.

The hermit spends a lot of time asleep,

He pours and drains another cup of beer.

By Du Mu

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