On the Lake
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《池上》

- Last updated: 2024-03-25 09:56:28

中文原文

小娃撑小艇，偷采白莲回。

不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开。

English Translation

A little child paddles a little boat,

Drifting about, and picking white lotuses.

He does not know how to hide his tracks,

And duckweed's opened up along his path.

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