Cicadas Whine
- Poetry of Liu Yong

《雨霖铃》

- Last updated: 2023-12-21 23:00:06

Cicadas Whine by Liu Yong
中文原文

寒蝉凄切，对长亭晚，骤雨初歇。

都门帐饮无绪，留恋处、兰舟催发。

执手相看泪眼，竟无语凝噎。

念去去、千里烟波，暮霭沉沉楚天阔。

多情自古伤离别，更那堪、冷落清秋节！

今宵酒醒何处？

杨柳岸、晓风残月。

此去经年，应是良辰好景虚设。

便纵有千种风情，更与何人说？

English Translation

Cicadas whine,looked the Chang Pavilion after a sudden rain,

on the riverbank,we drank silently,boatman called you leave.

Tearfully held your hands without a word,mist rose so dense,

thousand miles of heartbroken scenery towards the south.


The sentimental person always will weep for the parting,

not to mention now the bleak autumn has come here.

Where do i wake up?Cold wind breezes the willow trees.

On the rivers,fireflies're so beautiful,but without you,all means nothing.

Liu Yong:柳永（AD984-1053),the great love lyricist in Song dynasty,he's good at using some common words to make a heartbroken lyric.He lets the lyric become a citizen culture.

· Pre： Cold sheet
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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