Entertaining Literary Men in My Official Residence on a Rainy Day
- Poetry of Wei Yingwu

《郡斋雨中与诸文士燕集》

- Last updated: 2024-03-31 11:19:21

Entertaining Literary Men in My Official Residence on a Rainy Day by Wei Yingwu
中文原文

兵卫森画戟，宴寝凝清香。

海上风雨至，逍遥池阁凉。

烦疴近消散，嘉宾复满堂。

自惭居处崇，未睹斯民康。

理会是非遣，性达形迹忘。

鲜肥属时禁，蔬果幸见尝。

俯饮一杯酒，仰聆金玉章。

神欢体自轻，意欲凌风翔。

吴中盛文史，群彦今汪洋。

方知大藩地，岂曰财赋强。

English Translation

Outside are insignia, shown in state;

But here are sweet incense-clouds, quietly ours.

Wind and rain, coming in from sea,

Have cooled this pavilion above the lake

And driven the feverish heat away

From where my eminent guests are gathered.

...Ashamed though I am of my high position

While people lead unhappy lives,

Let us reasonably banish care

And just be friends, enjoying nature.

Though we have to go without fish and meat,

There are fruits and vegetables aplenty.

...We bow, we take our cups of wine,

We give our attention to beautiful poems.

When the mind is exalted, the body is lightened

And feels as if it could float in the wind.

...Suzhou is famed as a centre of letters;

And all you writers, coming here,

Prove that the name of a great land

Is made by better things than wealth.

Five-character-ancient-verse

· Pre： With My Brother at the South Study Thinking in the Moonlight of Vice-prefect Cui in Shanyin
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

© 2024 CN-Poetry.com Chinese Poems in English