On the mossy steps
- Poetry of Tang Yin

《一剪梅》

- Last updated: 2024-03-15 17:27:46

中文原文

红满苔阶绿满枝。

杜宇声声，杜宇声悲。

交欢未久又分离。

彩凤孤飞，彩凤孤栖。

别后相思是几时。

后会难知，后会难期。

此情何以表相思。

一首情词，一首情诗。

English Translation

On the mossy steps,fallen petals sleep.

Cuckoo cries,cries her heart out.

We've just had a fantastic night,

you're hurry to go,go away from my lips.

When do i start thinking of you after you went?

hard to say,say how i love you.

What do you want me to show my love to you?

A love song to sing,a love poem to chant?

By Tang Yin

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