Cooing turtledoves
- Poetry of Pre-Qin Poetry

《关雎》

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 16:11:02

中文原文

关关雎鸠，在河之洲。窈窕淑女，君子好逑。

参差荇菜，左右流之。窈窕淑女，寤寐求之。

求之不得，寤寐思服。悠哉悠哉，辗转反侧。

参差荇菜，左右采之。窈窕淑女，琴瑟友之。

参差荇菜，左右芼之。窈窕淑女，钟鼓乐之。

English Translation

Snuggling together,resting on the sand bank amid the river.

Gorgeous girl,you're the dream which i chase after.

Plucking the water grass,from two sides of this little boat.

Gorgeous girl,you're the star which i think about

You're too hard to get,sleep on the river,i just can't.

Gorgeous girl,i play the lyre to sing my heart this night,

Plucking the water grass,from two sides of this little boat.

Gorgeous girl,i drop the lyre to wander my heart this night.

By Anonymous

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