At Chuzhou on the Western Stream
- Poetry of Wei Yingwu

《滁州西涧》

- Last updated: 2024-05-13 10:56:08

中文原文

独怜幽草涧边生，上有黄鹂深树鸣。

春潮带雨晚来急，野渡无人舟自横。

English Translation

Where tender grasses rim the stream

And deep boughs trill with mango-birds,

On the spring flood of last night's rain

The ferry-boat moves as though someone were poling.

Seven-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