Lady Yu's Tomb
- Poetry of Su Shi

《虞姬墓》

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 18:21:55

中文原文

帐下佳人拭泪痕，门前壮士气如云。

仓黄不负君王意，只有虞姬与郑君。

English Translation

In the tent fair ladies wiped away their tears;

At the door brave men gathered like a mass of cloud.

Who justified the king's trust in critical years?

Of Lady Yu and General Zheng he could be proud.

1070

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