A Spring Sigh
- Poetry of Jin Changzu

《春怨》

English Translation

Drive the orioles away,

All their music from the trees....

When she dreamed that she went to Liaoxi Camp

To join him there, they wakened her

Five-character-quatrain

中文原文( Chinese )

打起黄莺儿，莫教枝上啼。

啼时惊妾梦，不得到辽西。

- Last updated: 2024-09-16 15:05:41

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