Going Home from the Stone Lake on New Year's Eve
- Poetry of Jiang Kui

《除夜自石湖归苕溪（其一）》

- Last updated: 2024-06-25 21:17:05

中文原文

细草穿沙雪半销，吴宫烟冷水迢迢。

梅花竹里无人见，一夜吹香过石桥。

English Translation

Tender grass is rooting above the sand when the snow has

half melted; a distant view: the palace of King Wu

looms through a cold thin mist over the river,

which is running far away.

Some plum flowers are blossoming in the grove of bamboos,

to the sight of nobody,

and overnight, the scent is wafted,

spreading and diffusing,

across the stone bridge.

By Jiang Kui

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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