It Snowed on the Night of the 14th Day of the 12th Lunar Month.I Went to the Southern Valley on the Next Morning and Drank There Till Dusk
- Poetry of Su Shi

《十二月十四日夜微雪，明日早往南溪小酌至晚》

中文原文( Chinese )

南溪得雪真无价，走马来看及未消。

独自披榛寻履迹，最先犯晓过朱桥。

谁怜破屋眠无处？坐觉村饥语不嚣。

惟有暮鸦知客意，惊飞千片落寒条。

English Translation

The snow in Southern Valley is priceless indeed, I come there on horseback before it melts away.

Alone,I follow the trail in a cloak of reed, First to cross the ochre bridge at the break of day.

Who pities the homeless who have nowhere to sleep?

I find villagers hungry whose voices are low.

Only the crows at dusk know why I'm thinking deep, Startled, they fly and shed a thousand flakes of snow.

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- Last updated: 2024-03-22 18:20:54

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