Lean on the balustrade
- Poetry of Liu Yong

《蝶恋花》

中文原文( Chinese )

伫倚危楼风细细，望极春愁，黯黯生天际。

草色烟光残照里，无言谁会凭栏意？

拟把疏狂图一醉，对酒当歌，强乐还无味。

衣带渐宽终不悔，为伊消得有憔悴。

English Translation

Lean on the balustrade,wind blows coldly.

stare afar at this withering spring,sadness surges.

On the grass which shone by the sunset,

who would know what i'm thinking about?

I try to get drunk in this day,i tried.

sing with the wine,but i never truly feel the happiness.

With the languishing body,my shirt becomes so small to me,

but if i do this,so i can yearn for you everyday,i don't regret.

By Liu Yong

- Last updated: 2023-12-21 22:58:20

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