Tune: Jui-ho hsien- The Fisherman
- Poetry of Zheng Xie

《瑞鹤仙·渔家》

- Last updated: 2024-04-18 10:04:40

Tune: Jui-ho hsien- The Fisherman by Zheng Xie
中文原文

风波江上起,系扁舟绿杨,红杏村里。

羡渔娘风味,总不施脂粉,略加梳洗。

野花插髻,便胜似宝钗香珥。

乍呼郎撒网鸣榔,一棹水天无际。


美利,蒲筐包蟹,竹笼装虾,柳条穿鲤。

市城不远,朝日去,午归矣。

并携来一瓮谁家美酝,人与沙鸥同醉。

卧苇花一片茫茫,夕阳千里。


English Translation

When wind and waves rise upon the river,

They tie the little boat to a green willow tree,

In the village of red apricot blossoms.

How I envy the fisherwoman's air:

She uses no rouge or powder,

Only occasionally works her hair.

A wild flower on her bun

Surpasses any jeweled earring or hairpin.

Suddenly she calls her man to toss the net, sound the rattle,

And they row the boundless river-sky.


The profit's good.

Rush bags encase their crabs,

Bamboo baskets hold their shrimp,

And willow strands string their carp.

The city's not far away:

Go there in the morning,

Be back at noon.

They bring along a vast of someone's fine brew:

Men and gulls get drunk together,

Lying among blossoming reeds, a vast stretch of white,

And miles and miles of setting sun.

By Zheng Xie

· PreThe Lotus Dock
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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