Song of Bamboo Twigs, I of Two
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi

《竹枝词二首其一》

- Last updated: 2024-04-17 15:43:45

中文原文

杨柳青青江水平，闻郎江上唱歌声。

东边日出西边雨，道是无晴却有晴。

English Translation

Green, O green is the willow, placid, peaceful the flow;

Hark and I hear on the river, songs from my love, my beau.

To the east, the sun is up, to the west, drizzles persist;

Though they say the sun is naught, to me, the sun is aglow.

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)

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