Who Can Explain Why We Love It (Picking Mulberries)
- Poetry of Ouyang Xiu

《采桑子·何人解赏西湖好》

English Rendering

Who can explain why we love it- West Lake is good.

The beautiful scene is without time,

Flying canopies chase each other,

Greedy to be among the flowers, drunk, with a jade cup.


Who can know I'm idle here, leaning on the rail.

Fragrant grass in slanting rays,

Fine mist on distant water,

One white egret flying from the Immortal Isle.

Who Can Explain Why We Love It (Picking Mulberries) by Ouyang Xiu
Who Can Explain Why We Love It (Picking Mulberries) by Ouyang Xiu

Original Text (中文原文)

何人解赏西湖好,佳景无时。

飞盖相追。贪向花间醉玉卮。

谁知闲凭阑干处,芳草斜晖。

水远烟微。一点沧洲白鹭飞。

Analysis & Context

By Ouyang Xiu

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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