A Southern Song-Written at Lakeside County
- Poetry of Su Shi

《南歌子·湖州作》

- Last updated: 2024-03-23 14:26:53

中文原文

山雨潇潇过，溪桥浏浏清。

小园幽榭枕苹汀。

门外月华如水、彩舟横。

苕岸霜花尽，江湖雪阵平。

两山遥指海门青。

回首水云何处、觅孤城。

English Translation

Shower on shower passes o'er the hills,

Clear,clear water flows neath bridges in the rills.

A garden pillows its bower amid the weed.

Outdoors in liquid moonlight lies afloat

A painted boat.

Frost cleared away on rivershore,

By waterside snow lingering no more.

Afar stands the blue gate to which two mountains lead.

Looking back,I find cloud and water up and down.

Where is the lonely town?

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