A Spring Sigh
- Poetry of Jin Changzu

《春怨》

中文原文( Chinese )

打起黄莺儿，莫教枝上啼。

啼时惊妾梦，不得到辽西。

English Translation

Drive the orioles away,

All their music from the trees....

When she dreamed that she went to Liaoxi Camp

To join him there, they wakened her

Five-character-quatrain

- Last updated: 2024-09-16 15:05:41

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