Plum flowers fade
- Poetry of Pre-Qin Poetry

《摽有梅》

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 16:09:07

中文原文

摽有梅，其实七兮。

求我庶士，迨其吉兮。

摽有梅，其实三兮。

求我庶士，迨其今兮。

摽有梅，顷筐塈之。

求我庶士，迨其谓之。

English Translation

Plum flowers fade,

many of them still on the twigs.

The boy,play a loving ballad now

if you truly want me to be your wife.

Plum flowers fade,

few of them still on the twigs,

The boy,come to kiss me right now

if you truly want me to be your wife.

Plum flowers fade,

none of them still on the twig,

The boy,what are you waiting for

if you truly want me to be your wife?

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