You wore the green dress
- Poetry of Zhang Xian

《醉垂鞭》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:54:06

中文原文

双蝶绣罗裙。

东池宴。

初相见。

朱粉不深匀。

闲花淡淡春。

细看诸处好。

人人道。

柳腰身。

昨日乱山昏。

来时衣上云。

English Translation

You wore the green dress on the feast,

at first time i saw you,

your makeup is light,smiled like the jasmine

in the silent spring.

What a pulchritudinous angel you are

at the first i saw you.

You seemed to come from the mountain,

those clouds still remained on your dress.

By Zhang Xian

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