Light Rain Early in Spring
- Poetry of Han Yu

《初春小雨》

- Last updated: 2024-03-15 16:41:51

中文原文

天街小雨润如酥，草色遥看近却无。

最是一年春好处，绝胜烟柳满皇都。

English Translation

In light rain, Heaven Street is moist like butter,

The grass is green from afar, but not nearby.

The spring is best this time every year,

The mist of willow blossom fills the capital.

By Han Yu

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