Parting II
- Poetry of Du Mu

《赠别·其二》

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 15:06:41

中文原文

多情却似总无情，唯觉樽²前笑不成。

蜡烛有心还惜别，替人垂泪到天明。

English Translation

How can a deep love seem deep love,

How can it smile, at a farewell feast?

Even the candle, feeling our sadness,

Weeps, as we do, all night long.

Seven-character-quatrain

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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.

List of Chinese poets