Seeking Shelter During a Snowstorm on Furong Mountain
- Poetry of Liu Changqing

《逢雪宿芙蓉山主人》

- Last updated: 2024-03-31 17:04:48

中文原文

日暮苍山远，天寒白屋贫。

柴门闻犬吠，风雪夜归人。

English Translation

Night falls and the dark green mountains are behind me

The cold thatched cottage is needy

I knock on the wicket gate, a dog barks

Everyone sleeps at night in a snowstorm

By Liu Changqing

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