How I Long for the Capital’s Lantern Festival
- Poetry of Li Shangyin

《正月十五夜闻京有灯恨不得观》

By Li Shangyin

English Translation

Our King’s Capital in lanterns – light and moonbeams,

Broad thoroughfares seem too narrow to flow cars’ stream.

I’m forsaken, foreign to Celebration there,

Shame! To greet Fay Violet with bumpkins free of care.

中文原文( Chinese )

月色灯光满帝都，香车宝辇隘通衢。

身闲不睹中兴盛，羞逐乡人赛紫姑。

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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