When Lu Lun My Cousin Comes for the Night
- Poetry of Sikong Shu

《喜外弟卢纶见宿》

- Last updated: 2024-05-04 11:49:47

中文原文

静夜四无邻，荒居旧业贫。

雨中黄叶树，灯下白头人。

以我独沉久，愧君相见频。

平生自有分，况是蔡家亲。

English Translation

With no other neighbour but the quiet night,

Here I live in the same old cottage;

And as raindrops brighten yellow leaves,

The lamp illumines my white head....

Out of the world these many years,

I am ashamed to receive you here.

But you cannot come too often,

More than brother, lifelong friend.

Five-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