I always dream that blue hill
- Poetry of Yan Jidao

《生查子》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:56:27

中文原文

关山魂梦长，鱼雁音尘少。

两鬓可怜青，只为相思老。

归梦碧纱窗，说与人人道。

真个别离难，不似相逢好。

English Translation

I always dreamed that blue hill,

you haven't sent me letter for a long.

My long hairs turned white

because of yearning you every evening.

Back to the green silky window,

wanna tell how i have a rave on him.

Being parting is really sad,

he embraced me tight in my dream.

By Yan Jidao

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