In the morning orchid weeps
- Poetry of Yan Shu

《蝶恋花》

- Last updated: 2024-03-23 10:40:01

中文原文

槛菊愁烟兰泣露，罗幕轻寒，燕子双飞去。

明月不谙离恨苦，斜光到晓穿朱户。

昨夜西风凋碧树，独上高楼，望尽天涯路。

欲寄彩笺兼尺素。

山长水阔知何处？

English Translation

In the morning orchid weeps in the fence,

dewy weather,i wear the shirt to walk on the forest.

Sparrows fly away.

The moonshine doesn't know my sorrow,

just shines on my courtyard,yellow as her hairs.

Last night blue daisies faded in the west wind,

blue rain,i ascended the attic to see if she comes here?

Sparrows quietly stayed.

I tried to sent my love letter to that girl,

but i just don't know where she's meandering.

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