Ballads of Four Seasons: Winter
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《子夜四时歌四首冬歌》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:06:51

中文原文

明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍。

素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀。

裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮？

English Translation

The courier will depart next day, she's told.

She sews a warrior's gown all night.

Her fingers feel the needle cold.

How can she hold the scissors tight?

The work is done, she sends it far away.

When will it reach the town where warriors stay?

Folk-song-styled-verse

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