On a Walk in the Early Spring Harmonizing a Poem By My Friend Lu Stationed at Changzhou
- Poetry of Du Shenyan

《和晋陵陆丞早春游望》

中文原文( Chinese )

独有宦游人，偏惊物候新。

云霞出海曙，梅柳渡江春。

淑气催黄鸟，晴光转绿蘋。

忽闻歌古调，归思欲沾巾。(巾一作：襟)

English Translation

Only to wanderers can come

Ever new the shock of beauty,

Of white cloud and red cloud dawning from the sea,

Of spring in the wild-plum and river-willow....

I watch a yellow oriole dart in the warm air,

And a green water- plant reflected by the sun.

Suddenly an old song fills

My heart with home, my eyes with tears.

Five-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-04-24 14:08:09

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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