Screened by Southern Curtain
- Poetry of Zhou Bangyan

《苏幕遮·燎沉香》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:49:30

Screened by Southern Curtain by Zhou Bangyan
中文原文

燎沉香，消溽暑。

鸟雀呼晴，侵晓窥檐语。

叶上初阳干宿雨、水面清圆，一一风荷举。

故乡遥，何日去。

家住吴门，久作长安旅。

五月渔郎相忆否。

小楫轻舟，梦入芙蓉浦。

English Translation

I burn an incense sweet 

To temper steamy heat.

Birds chirp at dawn beneath the eaves,

Announcing a fine day.The rising sun

Has dried last night's raindrops on lotus leaves 

Which,clear and round,dot water surface.One by one 

The lotus blooms stand up with ease 

And swing in morning breeze.


My homeland is far away,

When may I return to stay?

My kinsfolk live in South by city wall.

Why should I stay long in the capital?

Will not my fishing friends remember me in May?

In a short-oared light boat,it seems,

I'm back 'mid lotus blooms in dreams.

Zhou Bangyan(1057-1121),a court musician and poet skilled in the composition of "slow tunes,"has created a number of new patterns.This lyric describes in the first stanza a summer morning in the capital,and the second stanza expresses,the poet's longing for his homeland in the Soutn.

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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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