Ru Meng Ling -- Late Spring
- Poetry of Li Qingzhao

《如梦令·昨夜雨疏风骤》

- Last updated: 2024-04-12 09:46:19

Ru Meng Ling -- Late Spring by Li Qingzhao
中文原文

昨夜雨疏风骤，浓睡不消残酒。

试问卷帘人，却道海棠依旧。

知否，知否？应是绿肥红瘦。

English Translation

Last night the rain was sparse, the wind, gusty;

A deep sleep clears not the wine still remnant in me.

I ask of the one who rolls up the blinds, 

Who just says: “Flowery as ever --- that begonia tree.”

“Know, not? Oh, silly!

Know, not? Dear me!

Li Qingzhao (1084-1151 was the most famous poetess of the Song Dynasty.This lyric revealing her love of spring flowers reminds us of a Tang poet's Spring Moming.

· Pre： Sheng Sheng Man [*O search, I search, and seek, I seek]
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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