Magnolia - At the Beginning of Spring
- Poetry of Lu You

《木兰花·立春日作》

中文原文( Chinese )

三年流落巴山道，破尽青衫尘满帽。

身如西瀼渡头云，愁抵瞿唐关上草。

春盘春酒年年好，试戴银旛判醉倒。

今朝一岁大家添，不是人间偏我老。

English Translation

A roamer from the east to the west for three years,

Worn out in my blue gown, dusty my hat appears.

Like floating cloud over the ferry of west stream,

Or grass overgrown in Three Gorges, my grief would seem.

From year to year spring plate is as good as spring wine;

We vie to be drunk adorned with ribbons fine.

All of us have grown older by one year today;

I’m not the only one to olden in my way.

By Lu You

- Last updated: 2024-07-05 15:09:08

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