Cold sheet
- Poetry of Li Qingzhao

《一剪梅·红藕香残玉簟秋》
Cold sheet by Li Qingzhao
English Translation

Cold sheet,withered lotus flowers,

i lightly put off my shirt,

lonely step in the boat.

Who will send the love letters to me from the cloud?

When the wild geese return,

only moon rises from the Western Attic.


Flowers will fade,waters will flow,

we have the one yearning but weeps at two places.

Baby,could you tell me

how i should get rid of this sweetest love?

I put the pain of yearning down for a while,

but it spreads in my heart again like it never will be healed.

This lyric:depicts the loneliness of the poetess longing for messages from her husband who was far away.

Qing-zhao this ci was written in 1101, hen she had just married. Mingcheng was traveling quite far away and she is reputed to have sent him this poem painted on a silk handkerchief, a familiar gesture of special intimacy in those days. The ci is sometimes called, in fact, "Sorrow for Departure." It is remarkable for its openness and directness in expressing a lady's loneliness for her husband, a role somewhat precluded by custom in medieval,feudal China.

中文原文( Chinese )

红藕香残玉簟秋。

轻解罗裳，独上兰舟。

云中谁寄锦书来，雁字回时，月满西楼。

花自飘零水自流。

一种相思，两处闲愁。

此情无计可消除，才下眉头，却上心头。

- Last updated: 2025-05-01 10:31:54
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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.

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