A Message to Censor Du Fu at His Office in the Left Court
- Poetry of Cen Shen

《寄左省杜拾遗》

中文原文

联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微。

晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归。

白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞。

圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀。

English Translation

Together we officials climbed vermilion steps,

To be parted by the purple walls....

Our procession, which entered the palace at dawn,

Leaves fragrant now at dusk with imperial incense.

...Grey heads may grieve for a fallen flower,

Or blue clouds envy a lilting bird;

But this reign is of heaven, nothing goes wrong,

There have been almost no petitions.

Five-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 14:44:54

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