in Spring
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《春思》
in Spring by Li Bai (Li Po)
中文原文( Chinese )

燕草如碧丝，秦桑低绿枝。

当君怀归日，是妾断肠时。

春风不相识，何事入罗帏。

English Translation

Your grasses up north are as blue as jade,

Our mulberries here curve green-threaded branches;

And at last you think of returning home,

Now when my heart is almost broken....

O breeze of the spring, since I dare not know you,

Why part the silk curtains by my bed?

Five-character-ancient-verse

The poetic style is known to be of Yuefu Poetry, which refers to poems composed in the style of folk songs.

This poem is about the haunting thoughts of a soldier’s wife during a sunny spring day, whilst also carrying hopes of winning the war as soon as possible. It expresses the bitter thinking of a wife missing her husband as well as her faithful love. The entire poem expressed with simple, unpretentious words, each line fitting together, charmingly, vigorously, in a display of sophisticated elegance.

- Last updated: 2024-06-24 12:56:34
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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.

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