The song in the later Spring
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi

《和乐天春词》

The song in the later Spring by Liu Yuxi

English Translation

Decorating as a princess,

the spring is locked in my little hut.

Hundreds of tulips bloom under my feet,

over my head,lonely stars and dragonflies.

Composed during Liu Yuxi's poetic exchange with Bai Juyi, this work forms a dialogic counterpart to Bai's "Spring Lyrics" which depicted a young wife gazing wistfully from her chamber. While Bai captured her upstairs melancholy with subtle restraint, Liu's response portrays the same woman descending to admire spring scenery, offering complementary psychological insight. Their paired verses on spring longing not only demonstrate Tang literati's profound poetic camaraderie but also showcase the era's artistic pursuit of lyrical subtlety and emotional depth.

中文原文( Chinese )

新妆宜面下朱楼，深锁春光一院愁。

行到中庭数花朵，蜻蜓飞上玉搔头。

Pre： Autumn Song, 1 of 2

Next：Bamboo Branch Song

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.

The song in the later Spring - Poetry of Liu Yuxi

The song in the later Spring
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi