Rain falls in the early spring
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen
《江城子》By Zhu Shuzhen
English Translation
Rain falls in the early spring,
to the wine i silently cry.
Once i plucked the pear flowers leaning on the balustrade.
Grass towards ferry,i begged you stay,
you had no word but tearfully gazed at hill.
Last night i dreamed of you between river and cloud.
How should i feel after i woke up before i was gonna touch face in dream?
Toss about in bed,i wished to dream of you again.
The night sky is easy to see but not your tender love.
中文原文( Chinese )
斜风细雨作春寒，对尊前，忆前欢。
曾把梨花，寂寞泪阑干。
芳草断烟南浦路，和别泪，看青山。
昨宵结得梦夤缘，水云间，悄无言。
争奈醒来，愁恨又依然。
展转衾裯空懊恼，天易见，见伊难。
- 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.