Cicadas weep
- Poetry of Qin Guan

《菩萨蛮》

- Last updated: 2024-03-23 10:35:26

中文原文

虫声泣露惊秋枕。

罗帏泪湿鸳鸯锦。

独卧玉肌凉。

残更与恨长。

阴风翻翠幔。

雨涩灯花暗。

毕竟不成眠。

鸦啼金井寒。

English Translation

Cicadas weep,

i lay on the pillow,crying like a kid.

The cold wind breezes my skin,

all night i just yearn for you heartbrokenly.

Rain sings with the flare of candle,

dewy autumn i'm so lonely.

Just can't sleep as you asked me to,

get up walking to well,nightingales sigh.

By Qin Guan

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