The Southern Mound
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《南垞》

- Last updated: 2024-04-12 09:32:19

中文原文

轻舟南垞去，北垞淼难即。

隔浦望人家，遥遥不相识。

English Translation

The skiff is speeding to the Southern Mound,

The Northern Mound 'cross waters too far lies.

And when on shore I northward stretch my eyes,

A blurring distant view is all I've found.

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