After you left me for your dream
- Poetry of Zhang Jiuling

《赋得自君之出矣》

- Last updated: 2024-03-21 20:14:04

中文原文

自君之出矣，不复理残机。

思君如满月，夜夜减清辉。

English Translation

After you left me for your dream,

i just stop touching the loom.

My yearning to you is like the full moon,

it just keep waning evening by evening.

By Zhang Jiuling

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