Prince Teng's Pavilion
- Poetry of Wang Bo

《滕王阁》

- Last updated: 2024-03-15 17:35:02

中文原文

滕王高阁临江渚，佩玉鸣鸾罢歌舞。

画栋朝飞南浦云，珠帘暮卷西山雨。

闲云潭影日悠悠，物换星移几度秋。

阁中帝子今何在？槛外长江空自流。

English Translation

By riverside towers Prince Teng's Pavilion proud,

But gone are cabs with ringing bells and stirring strain.

At dawn its painted beams bar the south-flying cloud;

At dusk its uprolled screens reveal western hills' rain.

Leisurely clouds hang o'er still water all day long;

Stars move from spring to autumn in changeless sky.

Where is the prince who once enjoyed here wine and song?

Beyond the rails the silent river still rolls by.

By Wang Bo

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