Drunkenly shove off
- Poetry of Qin Guan

《点绛唇》

- Last updated: 2024-03-23 10:34:49

中文原文

醉漾轻舟，信流引到花深处。

尘缘相误，无计花间住。

烟水茫茫，千里斜阳暮。

山无数，乱红如雨。

不记来时路。

English Translation

Drunkenly shove off,

let the wave take me to wherever.

I am locked by the desire,

just don't deserve to live in your fairyland.

Mist throngs over this blue river,

Under the sunset mountains are in silence.

In the deep of the flowery path,

suddenly,petals fall like the spring rain,

i just don't know where to go after having a crush on you.

By Qin Guan

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