The mouth of the beauty
- Poetry of Li Yu

《一斛珠》

- Last updated: 2024-03-16 15:28:19

中文原文

晓妆初过，沉檀轻注些儿个。

向人微露丁香颗，一曲清歌，暂引樱桃破。

罗袖裛残殷色可，杯深旋被香醪涴。

绣床斜凭娇无那，烂嚼红茸，笑向檀郎唾。

English Translation

In the morning,put on a light make-up,

pink lips and blue eyes,am i sexy?

Stick my tongue out,come to kiss me.

A song in the cherry trees,

baby,catch me tight if you want me to be your goddess.

Thin shirt on my body,so cold i feel.

grape wine stains the sheet,i don't care.

Leaning on the boudoir like a frail maiden,

spitting the litchis on your face smilingly,

what are you waiting?Come to possess me with your incredible love.

By Li Yu

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