After played the swing
- Poetry of Li Qingzhao
《点绛唇》
English Translation
After played the swing,
i went to wash my hand with rose petals.
Dew on the rose garden,
the sexy sweat drenched my thin shirt.
Heard someone coming,
ran off barefoot.
Lost my hairpin and socks,
on the gate toward the corridor,
i shyly smelt green plum,pretended i haven't seen that pretty boy.
This straightforward poem was written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) by Li Qingzhao, one of the best-known female writers in Chinese history. Though only fragments of her works survived, she wrote prolifically during her lifetime, usually depicting the lives of girls and women in their boudoirs.
中文原文( Chinese )
蹴罢秋千，起来慵整纤纤手。
露浓花瘦，薄汗轻衣透。
见客入来，袜刬金钗溜。
和羞走，倚门回首，却把青梅嗅。
- 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.