Walking in the Countryside
- Poetry of Wang Anshi

《郊行》

- Last updated: 2024-04-11 16:29:04

中文原文

柔桑采尽绿阴稀，芦箔蚕成密茧肥。

聊向村家问风俗：如何勤苦尚凶饥？

English Translation

Tender mulberry leaves picked so clean green shade is sparse;

On reed beds silkworms grow into corpulent cocoons.

Casually I ask the villagers of local ways,

And why after all their hard labour they still go hungry.

By Wang Anshi

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