Song of Southern Country-To Governor Xu on Mountain-climbing Day
- Poetry of Su Shi

《南乡子·重九涵辉楼呈徐君猷》

- Last updated: 2023-12-28 21:31:48

中文原文

霜降水痕收，浅碧鳞鳞露远洲。

酒力渐消风力软，飕飕。

破帽多情却恋头。

佳节若为酬，但把清尊断送秋。

万事到头都是梦，休休。

明日黄花蝶也愁。

English Translation

The tide flows out after the fall of frost,

From rippling green water a beach of sand will rise.

The soughing wind softens,the vigor of wine is lost,

When blows the breeze,

My sympathetic hat won't leave my head with ease.

How shall we pass the holiday?

Wine cup in hand,we may send autumn away.

Everything will end in dreams,

It seems

Tomorrow fallen blooms will sadden butterflies.

This lyric is written after the poet's banishment to Huangzhou.

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