I remember we played in Lantern Festival
- Poetry of Jiang Kui

《鹧鸪天》

- Last updated: 2024-03-19 15:24:42

中文原文

忆昨天街预赏时。柳慳梅小未教知。

而今正是欢游夕，却怕春寒自掩扉。

帘寂寂，月低低。旧情惟有绛都词。

芙蓉影暗三更后，卧听邻娃笑语归。

English Translation

I remember we played in Lantern Festival,

willow leaves just sprouted,snow hadn't thawed.

Now it's time to play around,

i just closed my door to this beautiful spring.

Lower the curtain,back to the moon,

now only my love poems still pour out that heartbreak.

On the river i pretend to sleep but listen

to those girls smiling back home,baby when will you come back?

Jiang Kui: 姜夔(AD1154-1221),the greatest lyricist in Song dynasty,his poems has a disillusioned feeling

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