Snow in Spring
- Poetry of Han Yu

《春雪》

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

中文原文

新年都未有芳华，二月初惊见草芽。

白雪却嫌春色晚，故穿庭树作飞花。

English Translation

The new year's come, but still the plants don't grow,

First in March I'm startled by grass shoots.

The white snow thinks the colours of spring are late,

So through the pavilion and trees it flies like blossom.

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