On the path grass grows
- Poetry of Yan Shu

《玉楼春》

- Last updated: 2024-03-24 22:01:39

中文原文

绿杨芳草长亭路。

年少抛人容易去。

楼头残梦五更钟，花底离愁三月雨。

无情不似多情苦。

一寸还成千万缕。

天涯地角有穷时，只有相思无尽处。

English Translation

On the path grass grows,you dump me

under the green poplar tree.

The sound of bells in temple awakens my dream,

my yearning to you is like this rain in March.

People never know how sad i am

unless they truly fall in love with someone.

The world always has a end i can reach,

but your sweet smiles in my dreams i just can't touch.

By Yan Shu

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