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- Poetry of Zhang Bi

《寄人》

- Last updated: 2024-05-15 11:44:06

中文原文

别梦依依到谢家，小廊回合曲阑斜。

多情只有春庭月，犹为离人照落花。

English Translation

I go in a dream to the house of Xie

Through a zigzag porch with arching rails

To a court where the spring moon lights for ever

Phantom flowers and a single figure.

Seven-character-quatrain

· Pre： Turkestan

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