In the Morning
- Poetry of Nalan Xingde

《如梦令》

- Last updated: 2024-03-24 15:42:51

中文原文

正是辘轳金井，满砌落花红冷。

蓦地一相逢，心事眼波难定。

谁省，谁省。

从此簟纹灯影。

English Translation

In the morning,i heard the sound of windlass in the well,

many flowers fell on the cold steps after the rain in last night.

Suddenly,i met her and had a crush on her at the first sight,

hard to say how deeply i love her because i'm too shy.

Who would know it?Who would know it?

My life totally turned into the ghost of missing her after that encounter.

By Nalan Xingde

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