A Girl's Sorrow
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《赠邻女》

- Last updated: 2024-05-16 09:35:48

中文原文

羞日遮罗袖，愁春懒起妆。

易求无价宝，难得有心郎。

枕上潜垂泪，花间暗断肠。

自能窥宋玉，何必恨王昌？

English Translation

I cover my face half with the veil,

tired to make up after you left me.

Priceless treasure is easy to get,

but the good man is hard to cuddle.

Sleeping or meandering the garden,

i just fall the tears for missing you.

Beautiful as me should meet Princess Charming,

why should i have to think of you crazily?

By Yu Xuanji

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