The Peony Pavilion
- Poetry of Tang Xianzu

《七夕醉答君东》

The Peony Pavilion (Chinese: 牡丹亭; pinyin: Mǔdān tíng), also named The Return of Soul at the Peony Pavilion, is a romantic tragicomedy play written by dramatist Tang Xianzu in 1598.

English Translation

Autumn looks green as spring before my Hall of Jade;

The Peony Pavilion is sung here and there.

I find no connoisseur, tapping the balustrade;

Sandal clappers in hand, I teach my actrice fair.

中文原文( Chinese )

玉名堂开春翠屏，新词传唱《牡丹亭》。

伤心拍遍无人会，自掐檀痕教小伶。

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.

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The Peony Pavilion - Poetry of Tang Xianzu

The Peony Pavilion
- Poetry of Tang Xianzu