The Lotus Dock
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《莲花坞》

- Last updated: 2024-04-17 15:01:00

中文原文

日日采莲去，洲长多暮归。

弄篙莫溅水，畏湿红莲衣。

English Translation

In picking lotus from that islet far,

You're often back to see the evening star.

Please don't send water splashing while you punt,

Or else the scarlet lotus dress you'll mar!

By Wang Wei

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