She's like flowers
- Poetry of Ouyang Xiu

《长相思》

- Last updated: 2023-12-23 22:23:23

She's like flowers by Ouyang Xiu
中文原文

花似伊。

柳似伊。

花柳青春人别离。

低头双泪垂。

长江东。

长江西。

两岸鸳鸯两处飞。

相逢知几时。

English Translation

She's like flowers,

she's like willows.

What a green spring it is,

but we have to part.

Don't say a word,let's weep silently.


At east of river,

at west of river,

the butterflies fly in the sky,

but i just can't find you.

Without a word,yearn for you desperately.

By Ou Yangxiu

· Pre： In the Lantern Festival Last Year
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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