A Study
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《书事》

- Last updated: 2024-03-18 15:35:07

中文原文

轻阴阁小雨，深院昼慵开。

坐看苍苔色，欲上人衣来。

English Translation

There's light cloud, and drizzle round the pavilion,

In the dark yard, I wearily open a gate.

I sit and look at the colour of green moss,

Ready for people's clothing to pick up.

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