The Beautiful Lady Yu
- Poetry of Su Shi

《虞美人·波声拍枕长淮晓》

- Last updated: 2024-01-01 13:25:35

中文原文

波声拍枕长淮晓，隙月窥人小。

无情汴水自东流，只载一船离恨、向西州。

竹溪花浦曾同醉，酒味多于泪。

谁教风鉴在尘埃？

酝造一场烦恼、送人来。

English Translation

River Huai's waves seem to beat my pillow till dawn;

A ray of moonbeam peeps at me forlorn.

The heartless River Bian flows eastward down,

Laden with parting grief,you've left the town.

Once we got drunk by riverside bamboo and flower,

My tears made sweet wine sour.

How could a mirror not be stained with dust?

Who could predict the trouble brewing up in gust?

The poet tells Qin Guan what happens to him after Qin's departure

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