We fell in love deeply
- Poetry of Tsangyang Gyatso

《但曾相见便相知》

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 16:01:06

中文原文

但曾相见便相知，相见何如不见时。

安得与君相诀绝，免教生死作相思。

English Translation

We fell in love deeply since we encountered first time,

if we knew the result,i thought it's better we never found each other.

How could i say goodbye to your,like forever?

so i wouldn't pine for your beauty from life to death.

By Tsangyang Gyatso

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