Ice-like skin
- Poetry of Su Shi

《洞仙歌》
Ice-like skin by Su Shi
中文原文

冰肌玉骨，自清凉无汗。

水殿风来暗香满。

绣帘开、一点明月窥人，人未寝、欹枕钗横鬓乱。

起来携素手，庭户无声，时见疏星渡河汉。

试问夜如何，夜已三更，金波淡、玉绳低转。

但屈指、西风几时来，又不道、流年暗中偷换。

English Translation

Ice-like skin and jade-like body,

you smell so refreshing,hardly sweat.

The wind brings your fragrance to whole palace,

even the moonshine also peeps you

through the silky curtain.

You haven't slept,just lay aslant on the bed.


The king holds your hand,soundlessly

step into courtyard.Stars rotate around you.

"How deep this night is?"King asks.

"It's midnight,moon's gonna set."You sigh.

Autumn wind blows your face,lower her head.

Unwittingly time has flowed away like the water,

only your beauty makes this world sweetly fall asleep.

By Su Shi

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