Love letter
- Poetry of Yan Shu

《清平乐·红笺小字》
Love letter by Yan Shu
中文原文( Chinese )

红笺小字。

说尽平生意。

鸿雁在云鱼在水。

惆怅此情难寄。

斜阳独倚西楼。

遥山恰对帘钩。

人面不知何处，绿波依旧东流。

English Translation

I write my love letter on the red silk,

try to tell how i'm enamored by you.

Wild geese in the sky,golden fish in water,

who could help me to send my whisper?


Under the sunset lean on the western attic,

the hills which embrace the stream are so blue.

I have no idea where you are now,

just listen to the streamwater quietly flows.

Yan Shu:晏殊(AD991-1055),He's the Prime Minister and a great lyricist in Song dynasty.He loved to go to the brothels and drink the wine all the night.He is a very corruptive official.So his son Yan Jidao had paid for what he did.No one would love to help his son because he's too evil and depraved.But as a lyricist,he always can write some touching words to his mistresses and whores.Yep,all his love poems are writing for his mistresses and whores.He never take care about his poor wife.

- Last updated: 2024-06-14 10:34:57
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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.

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