My Idle Dreams Roam Far (Gazing at the South)
- Poetry of Li Yu

《望江南·闲梦远》

English Translation

My idle dreams roam far,

To the southern land where spring is fragrant.

Wind and strings play on a boat on the river's clear surface,

The city is full of catkins flying like light dust.

People are occupied admiring the flowers.

My idle dreams roam far,

To the southern land where autumn is clear.

For a thousand li over rivers and hills cold colours stretch far,

Deep in flowering reeds, a solitary boat is moored.

Beneath the bright moon, a flute plays in the tower.

By Li Yu

中文原文( Chinese )

闲梦远，南国正芳春。

船上管弦江面渌，满城飞絮辊轻尘。

忙杀看花人！

闲梦远，南国正清秋。

千里江山寒色远，芦花深处泊孤舟，笛在月明楼。

- Last updated: 2025-06-07 08:06:06

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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