All My Life, I Have Loved It (Picking Mulberries)
- Poetry of Ouyang Xiu

《采桑子·平生为爱西湖好》

中文原文( Chinese )

平生为爱西湖好，来拥朱轮。

富贵浮云。俯仰流年二十春。

归来恰似辽东鹤，城郭人民。

触目皆新。

谁识当年旧主人。

English Translation

All my life, I have loved it- West Lake is good.

A crowd around the red wheels,

Riches and honours are floating clouds,

Look down, look up, the years flow on, twenty springs have passed.

Now returned, I look like a crane from the distant east.

The people around the city walls,

All are new that meet the eye,

Who can remember their governor from those olden days?

By Ouyang Xiu

- Last updated: 2024-03-24 17:03:47

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