Fairy Beauty Recalled
- Poetry of He Zhu

《忆仙姿·江上潮回风细》

- Last updated: 2024-04-11 19:55:30

中文原文

江上潮回风细，红袖倚楼凝睇。

天际认归舟，但见平林如荠。

迢递，迢递，人更远于天际。

English Translation

The tide on the stream flows

When a gentle breeze blows.

A rosy-sleeved lady leaning on the rails

On the horizon fixes her gaze.

To find out the returning sails,

But only see the distant forest in the haze.

So far away,

So far away!

Why should her lord beyond the horizon stay?

By He Zhu

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