The song of plucking the lotus flower
- Poetry of Pu Songling

《采莲曲》

- Last updated: 2024-04-02 14:43:03

The song of plucking the lotus flower by Pu Songling
中文原文

其一

返棹孤舟漾碧波，少年逼趁半塘中。

若非邻女来相唤，渐入深荷路欲穷。

其二

两船相望隔菱茭，一笑低头眼暗抛。

他日人知与郎遇，片言谁信不曾交?

English Translation

1

Row a boat alone in the river,

he paddles close to my boat.

If my girlfriends didn't call me back,

i really want to go deeper in the river with him. 

2

We both pluck the lotus flower in a river,

smilingly i throw the flower at him.

If people found what we're doing,

how couldn't they believe we're two happy lovers.

Pu Songling: 蒲 松 龄 (AD1640-1715),the author of the Novel "Strange Tales of a Lonely Studio"《( 聊斋志异》),he put his all life in this novel,but in leisure time,he would write some poems.

· Pre： The Peach-leaves Ferry
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

© 2024 CN-Poetry.com Famous Chinese Poems in English