Spring Heart-break
- Poetry of Liu Fangping

《春怨》

- Last updated: 2024-05-14 15:05:56

中文原文

纱窗日落渐黄昏，金屋无人见泪痕。

寂寞空庭春欲晚，梨花满地不开门。

English Translation

With twilight passing her silken window,

She weeps alone in her chamber of gold

For spring is departing from a desolate garden,

And a drift of pear-petals is closing a door.

Seven-character-quatrain

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