Fallen flowers
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen

《落花》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:52:57

中文原文

连理枝头花正开，妒花风雨便相催。

愿教青帝常为主，莫遣纷纷点翠苔。

English Translation

Gorgeous flowers bloom in my garden,

but the wind and rain howl here every moment.

I wish the spring can be everlasting,

please don't let cute petals fall on the moss-growing ground.

By Zhu Shuzhen

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