From an Upper Story
- Poetry of Du Fu

《登楼》

中文原文( Chinese )

花近高楼伤客心，万方多难此登临。

锦江春色来天地，玉垒浮云变古今。

北极朝廷终不改，西山寇盗莫相侵。

可怜后主还祠庙，日暮聊为梁甫吟。

English Translation

Flowers, as high as my window, hurt the heart of a wanderer

For I see, from this high vantage, sadness everywhere.

The Silken River, bright with spring, floats between earth and heaven

Like a line of cloud by the Jade Peak, between ancient days and now.

...Though the State is established for a while as firm as the North Star

And bandits dare not venture from the western hills,

Yet sorry in the twilight for the woes of a longvanished Emperor,

I am singing the song his Premier sang when still unestranged from the mountain.

Seven-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-04-25 21:43:56

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