A Message From My Lodge at Wangchuan to Pei Di
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《辋川闲居赠裴秀才迪》

- Last updated: 2024-04-26 16:15:48

中文原文

寒山转苍翠，秋水日潺湲。

倚杖柴门外，临风听暮蝉。

渡头余落日，墟里上孤烟。

复值接舆醉，狂歌五柳前。

English Translation

The mountains are cold and blue now

And the autumn waters have run all day.

By my thatch door, leaning on my staff,

I listen to cicadas in the evening wind.

Sunset lingers at the ferry,

Supper-smoke floats up from the houses.

...Oh, when shall I pledge the great Hermit again

And sing a wild poem at Five Willows?

Five-character-regular-verse

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