South of the River (Han Yuefu)
- Poetry of Han poetry

《江南》

中文原文( Chinese )

江南可采莲，莲叶何田田！鱼戏莲叶间。

鱼戏莲叶东，鱼戏莲叶西，鱼戏莲叶南，鱼戏莲叶北。

English Translation

South of the river, you can pick lotuses,

How like a field are the lotus leaves!

Fish play in the lotus leaves:

Fish play east of the lotus leaves,

Fish play west of the lotus leaves,

Fish play south of the lotus leaves,

Fish play north of the lotus leaves.

Han Poetry

- Last updated: 2024-04-16 18:53:25

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