The pear flowers fell again in the spring
- Poetry of Nalan Xingde

《虞美人》

- Last updated: 2024-03-24 15:38:33

中文原文

春情只到梨花薄，片片催零落。

夕阳何事近黄昏，不道人间犹有未招魂。

银笺别梦当时句，密绾同心苣。

为伊判作梦中人，长向画图清夜唤真真。

English Translation

The pear flowers fell again in the spring,

under the sunset,

i've never known there's something will haunt my soul.

Once promised to be the man guarded you,

whispered to her portrait,

i finally found a person that i'm willing to be a person in the dream.

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