In Her Quiet Window
- Poetry of Wang Changling

《闺怨》
In Her Quiet Window by Wang Changling
中文原文( Chinese )

闺中少妇不知愁，春日凝妆上翠楼。

忽见陌头杨柳色，悔教夫婿觅封侯。

English Translation

Too young to have learned what sorrow means,

Attired for spring, she climbs to her high chamber....

The new green of the street-willows is wounding her heart --

Just for a title she sent him to war.

Seven-character-quatrain

Wang Changling: 王昌龄(AD698-757),he's a great poet in Tang dynasty.He's good at writing those heroic and warlike poems,but sometimes,he always writes some love poems.

- Last updated: 2024-05-13 09:56:24
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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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