Parting I
- Poetry of Du Mu

《赠别·其一》

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 15:07:14

中文原文

娉娉袅袅十三余，豆蔻梢头二月初。

春风十里扬州路，卷上珠帘总不如。

English Translation

She is slim and supple and not yet fourteen,

The young spring-tip of a cardamon-spray.

On the Yangzhou Road for three miles in the breeze

Every pearl-screen is open. But there's no one like her.

Seven-character-quatrain

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