The Young Willow
- Poetry of Yang Wanli
《新柳》
English Translation
Willow strands sweep silver pond—a hundred feet long,
Clad in pale gold, refusing green’s strong song.
Not that branches dip to kiss the water’s face,
But drowned shadows stretch in liquid space.
Composed in 1178 during Yang Wanli's artistic awakening at age fifty-two, this lyric embodies his "Chengzhai Style" breakthrough—where ordinary sights ignite extraordinary vision. Capturing spring's first whispers through willow imagery, the poem dances between physical reality and liquid reflection, transforming riparian botany into kinetic art.
中文原文( Chinese )
柳条百尺拂银塘，且莫深青只浅黄。
未必柳条能蘸水，水中柳影引他长。
- 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.
Famous Chinese Poems
- Seven Poems on Kaiyuan Era: Dancing Horses
- Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Summer
- In Reply to Pimei’s Poem Written During Illness
- Ten Odes on Tea Utensils: Tea Vale White Lotus
- Spring Thoughts II
- The Arcane Celadon of Yue Kiln
- Lodging by Riverside Tower
- Along the River for Flowers Alone I
- The Cottage by the Stream
- The Lotus-Gathering Song
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