Evening Walk in Autumn Cool
- Poetry of Yang Wanli
《秋凉晚步》
English Translation
Must autumn’s breath be mourned? Not so, I find—
This light chill is the weather most refined.
Though red lotuses fade from green pool’s face,
Small coin-like lotus leaves still find their place.
Composed during the Chunxi era (1174-1189) when Yang Wanli was in his fifties, this lyric dismantles a millennia-old literary trope—autumn as melancholy metaphor. Written during an evening stroll, it exemplifies his mature "Chengzhai Style," where nature observation becomes philosophical rebellion against poetic convention. Here, autumn sheds its elegiac garb to reveal climatic perfection and cyclical renewal.
中文原文( Chinese )
秋气堪悲未必然，轻寒正是可人天。
绿池落尽红蕖却，荷叶犹开最小钱。
- 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.