Fountain of Wine
- Poetry of Pan Lang

《酒泉子·长忆西湖》

- Last updated: 2023-12-15 23:29:39

中文原文

长忆西湖。

尽日凭阑楼上望：

三三两两钓鱼舟，岛屿正清秋。

笛声依约芦花里，白鸟成行忽惊起。

别来闲整钓鱼竿，思入水云寒。

English Translation

I still remember West Lake,

Where,leaning on the rails,I gazed without a break

Oh fishing boats in twos and threes

And islets in clear autumn breeze.

Among flowering reeds faint flute-songs rose,

Startled white birds took flight in rows.

Since I left,I've repaired my fishing rod at leisure,

Thoughts of waves and clouds thrill me with pleasure.

By Pan Lang

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