I love the shadow of balustrade
- Poetry of Yan Jidao

《临江仙》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:55:44

中文原文

长爱碧阑干影，芙蓉秋水开时。

脸红凝露学娇啼。

霞觞熏冷艳，云髻袅纤枝。

烟雨依前时候，霜丛如旧芳菲。

与谁同醉采香归。

去年花下客，今似蝶分飞。

English Translation

I love the shadow of balustrade in the river

when the lotus flowers bloom.

She's shy to learn the singing of nightingale,

dance like an angel,spread the deadly fragrance.

Mist rain wets on my shoulder,

grass and violets are growing everywhere.

Whom could i pick up fallen petals with?

last year we were so happy,now only i'm watching the butterflies.

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