Far,Far Away
- Poetry of Anonymous

《迢迢牵牛星》

中文原文( Chinese )

迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女。

纤纤擢素手，札札弄机杼。

终日不成章，泣涕零如雨。

河汉清且浅，相去复几许？

盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。

English Translation

Far,far away resides the Cowherd Star,

Fair,fair the Weaver Maiden Star.

Slim and soft are her tender hands;

Click and clack sounds the loom that stands.

She stops and drops the shuttle time and again,

Shedding floods of tears like pouring rain.

Clear and shallow is the Milky Way,

That separates them miles and miles away.

Surge and surge the waters from north to south;

She loves and loves but has to shut her mouth.

Anonymous

- Last updated: 2024-08-12 10:36:14

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