Riverwater and seawave
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《浪淘沙》

- Last updated: 2024-03-19 13:18:37

中文原文

借问江潮与海水，何似君情与妾心？

相恨不如潮有信，相思始觉海非深。

English Translation

Riverwater and seawave,where is my boy?

tides will come here in time,but he always cheats me.

What should i do in this miserable fate?

You won't think sea is deep after you truly yearn for someone.

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