A Message to Han Cho the Yangzhou Magistrate
- Poetry of Du Mu

《寄扬州韩绰判官》

- Last updated: 2024-04-25 21:49:06

中文原文

青山隐隐水迢迢，秋尽江南草未凋。

二十四桥明月夜，玉人何处教吹箫。

English Translation

There are faint green mountains and far green waters,

And grasses in this river region not yet faded by autumn;

And clear in the moon on the Twenty-Four Bridges,

Girls white as jade are teaching flute-music.

Seven-character-quatrain

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