The Wind Blew the Willow Catkins on the Pond
- Poetry of Nalan Xingde

《山花子》

- Last updated: 2024-03-24 15:41:38

中文原文

风絮飘残已化萍，泥莲刚倩藕丝萦。

珍重别拈香一瓣，记前生。

人到情多情转薄，而今真个悔多情。

又到断肠回首处，泪偷零。

English Translation

The wind blew the willow catkins on the pond,

in the mud the lavenders strongly grew.

Gave you a petal before we parted,

our dreamlike life,sweet love,please remember.

People said that love would change if you're too fond,

in the corner i really regret those dreamy dew.

Now i returned to the place where we parted.

duckweeds on the pond,fickle fate,crystalline tear.

By Nalan Xingde

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