Spring dream is like the poplar flowers
- Poetry of Yang Shen

《浪淘沙》

- Last updated: 2024-03-15 17:25:08

中文原文

春梦似杨花。绕遍天涯。黄莺啼过绿窗纱。

惊散香云飞不去，篆缕烟斜。

油壁小香车。水渺云赊。青楼珠箔那人家。

旧日罗巾今日泪，湿尽韶华。

English Translation

Spring dream is like the poplar flowers

drift around the world.

The little oriole flits through the green window,

but that damsel has no way to sneak out.

Look outside,blue mist is ambiguous as her infatuation.

Getting into a small carriage

through some lakes and ferries.

The boy was living in that green attic,

but that damsel only wipes her tears,

the handkerchief boy gave she still treasures as the star in her heart river.

By Yang Shen

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