The Artificial Flowers
- Poetry of Shen Quanqi

《剪彩》
The Artificial Flowers by Shen Quanqi
English Translation

The palace maids love the fair fragrant trees;

They cut out flowers rivalling flowers early to blow.

When cold is o’er, the use of scissors will cease;

When spring appears, their silken works will grow.


With tender stems their hair-like filaments roll;

Their scented pistils are made of silk white.

Their slender branches are happy in their role

To bend o’er the marble steps in the palace bright.

This poem was written during Shen Quanqi's tenure in the capital, belonging to his early works on courtly themes. Tang dynasty palaces placed great emphasis on floral decorations, and each early spring, palace maidens would cut colorful silk flowers and adorn their robes to celebrate the season—a common scene in the courtly spring landscape. As a court poet, Shen Quanqi excelled at depicting palace scenes and figures with delicate brushstrokes, yet beneath the ornate language, he often embedded philosophical reflections on the impermanence of life and the cycle of prosperity and decline.

中文原文( Chinese )

宫女怜芳树，裁花竞早荣。

寒依刀尺尽，春向绮罗生。

弱蒂盘丝发，香蕤结素成。

纤枝幸不弃，长就玉阶倾。

· Pre： The Mume Blossoms Fallen
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.

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