After the lotus flowers bloom
- Poetry of Li Shangyin

《暮秋独游曲江》

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 22:09:50

中文原文

荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成。

深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声。

English Translation

After the lotus flowers bloom,spring sighs,

after the lotus flowers wither,autumn sighs.

I know the love will haunt me as long as i live,

so i just silently listen to the sound of river,trying to get a gleam of you.

By Li Shangyin

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