Magnolia Lyrics
- Poetry of Yan Shu

《木兰花·池塘水绿风微暖》

- Last updated: 2024-06-14 10:37:53

Magnolia Lyrics by Yan Shu
中文原文

池塘水绿风微暖，记得玉真初见面。

重头歌韵响琤琮，入破舞腰红乱旋。

玉钩阑下香阶畔，醉后不知斜日晚。

当时共我赏花人，点检如今无一半。

English Translation

The pond water is green and the breeze light and genial,

They remind me of the first time I saw her face.

Her singing of the Repetition was like the ringing of jade,

Her dance to the Cleaving symphony whirled petals around her waist.


Outside the raised delicate curtains, below the balustrade by the stairs,

Drunk I am, unaware that the sun has set and the time is late.

Of those that I admired the blossoms with,

Only fewer than half still alive remain.

By Yan Shu

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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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