Night Snow
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《夜雪》

- Last updated: 2024-03-25 09:45:27

中文原文

已讶衾枕冷，复见窗户明。

夜深知雪重，时闻折竹声。

English Translation

I was surprised my quilt and pillow were cold,

I see that now the window's bright again.

Deep in the night, I know the snow is thick,

I sometimes hear the sound as bamboo snaps.

By Bai Juyi

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