A Song at Weicheng
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《渭城曲》

- Last updated: 2023-12-21 22:47:17

中文原文

Simplified Chinese Version

渭城朝雨浥轻尘，客舍青青柳色新。

劝君更尽一杯酒，西出阳关无故人。

Traditional Chinese Version

渭城朝雨浥輕塵，客舍青青柳色新。

勸君更盡一杯酒，西出陽關無故人。

English Translation

A morning-rain has settled the dust in Weicheng;

Willows are green again in the tavern dooryard....

Wait till we empty one more cup --

West of Yang Gate there'll be no old friends.

Folk-song-styled-verse

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