Spring Night
- Poetry of Yu Shinan
The moon wanders over the spring garden's grace,
The bamboo hall opens as night invades the space.
Startled birds sweep through the woods in flight,
Blossoms on breeze come across water's light.
This poem was composed in the year 637 AD (the 11th year of the Zhenguan era of Emperor Taizong of Tang) during the Dingyou New Year. At that time, Yu Shinan was favored by Emperor Taizong and granted an estate in Yongxing, where he spent the New Year in Gaoling City. While strolling through a garden on a moonlit night, amidst bamboo shadows and the moonlight, the poet keenly captured the liveliness and freshness of a spring night, leading to the creation of this poem. Though short, this five-character quatrain uses an extremely concise brush to depict the bright and beautiful mood of a spring night garden, reflecting the poet’s tranquil, leisurely state of mind and aesthetic pursuit.
春苑月裴回，竹堂侵夜开。
惊鸟排林度，风花隔水来。
- 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.
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