Two birds on the lake
- Poetry of Xue Tao

《池上双凫》
Two birds on the lake by Xue Tao
中文原文( Chinese )

双栖绿池上，朝去暮飞还。

更忆将雏日，同心莲叶间。

English Translation

Two birds on the limpid lake

fly away and come back together everyday.

I seem to see they whisper among the lotus,

and breed their children with all their love.

Xue Tao: 薛涛(AD768-832),she is a female poet in Tang dynasty.She lives in Chengdu city all her life,and makes many patrician friends.She loves to write poems in the peachy letter.People call this letter"The Xuetao Letter"

She has come up from the bottom by educating herself and writes poetry which is no deeper than a plain understanding of the world. Yet she has an art which often shines through. The third line is [night watches][remember][coming][chick][days]. Remembering the future only occurs to an uncommon mind.

- Last updated: 2024-11-25 18:44:59
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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.

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