To My Friend At the Capital Secretary Pei
- Poetry of Qian Qi

《赠阙下裴舍人》

- Last updated: 2024-05-08 20:16:07

中文原文

二月黄莺飞上林，春城紫禁晓阴阴。

长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深。

阳和不散穷途恨，霄汉长怀捧日心。

献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪。

English Translation

Finches flash yellow through the Imperial Grove

Of the Forbidden City, pale with spring dawn;

Flowers muffle a bell in the Palace of Bliss

And rain has deepened the Dragon Lake willows;

But spring is no help to a man bewildered,

Who would be like a cloud upholding the Light of Heaven,

Yet whose poems, ten years refused, are shaming

These white hairs held by the petalled pin.

Seven-character-regular-verse

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