Green,Green Spreads
- Poetry of Anonymous

《青青河畔草》

中文原文( Chinese )

青青河畔草，郁郁园中柳。

盈盈楼上女，皎皎当窗牖。

娥娥红粉妆，纤纤出素手。

昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。

荡子行不归，空床难独守。

English Translation

Green,green spreads the bank-side grass;

Lush,lush grow the garden willows.

Fine,fine stands upstairs the lass,

Fair,fair her shape behind the windows.

Bright,bright beams her rouged face;

Soft,soft are her soft-skinned hands.

Once a singing-girl with poise and grace,

Now she's wife to one who roves the lands.

As he wanders in an unknown zone,

It's hard for her to go to bed alone.

Anonymous

- Last updated: 2024-09-16 15:08:15

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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.

List of Chinese poets