A Parting
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《送別》

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 16:02:03

中文原文

山中相送罢，日暮掩柴扉。

春草明年绿，王孙归不归。

English Translation

Friend, I have watched you down the mountain

Till now in the dark I close my thatch door....

Grasses return again green in the spring,

But O my Prince of Friends, do you?

Five-character-quatrain

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