I remember meeting you
- Poetry of Su Shi

《蝶恋花》

- Last updated: 2024-03-23 17:15:44

中文原文

记得画屏初会遇。

好梦惊回，望断高唐路。

燕子双飞来又去。

纱窗几度春光暮。

那日绣帘相见处。

低眼佯行，笑整香云缕。

敛尽春山羞不语。

人前深意难轻诉。

English Translation

I remember meeting you behind the Painting Screen,

dreams rise lightly from my heart.

On the road you left,

the swallows come and go,

how much spring wind could i catch?

At that day you met me,you lowered your head

and brushed against me by chance.

You looked so beautiful.

Today i'm too shy to tell how i feel about you,

in front of people,just let me keep pretending to be playboy.

By Su Shi

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