Rhyming with a Friend
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《和友人次韵》

- Last updated: 2024-04-06 20:08:53

Rhyming with a Friend by Yu Xuanji
中文原文

何事能消旅馆愁，红笺开处见银钩。

蓬山雨洒千峰小，嶰谷风吹万叶秋。

字字朝看轻碧玉，篇篇夜诵在衾裯。

欲将香匣收藏却，且惜时吟在手头。

English Translation

What can melt away the melancholy of lodging at an inn?

When I open the red notepaper, I see the fine lines of your writing.

Rain sprinkles Penglai all other peaks grow small,

The wind blows in Xie Valley myriad leaves touched by autumn.

In the morning I read word after word, more precious than green jade,

And at night beneath my coverlets I recite page after page.

I’ll pack your poem away in a fragrant casket,

But for now I’ll take it in hand and chant it.

Penglai Mountain, beyond the eastern sea, was the abode of the immortals; the Xie Valley to the remote west was held to be the place of origin of musical pipes.

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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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