Leaving the Wangchuan Villa
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《别辋川别业》

- Last updated: 2024-04-10 15:18:54

中文原文

依迟动车马，惆怅出松萝。

忍别青山去，其如绿水何！

English Translation

It's hard to get the carriage on the way,

For every green thing seems to bid me stay!

Just how can I bear to leave these verdant hills

Or the green green streams that have taken my heart away?

By Wang Wei

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