Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
- Poetry of Yan Shu

《踏莎行·小径红稀》

- Last updated: 2024-06-14 14:02:56

Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass by Yan Shu
中文原文

小径红稀,芳郊绿遍,高台树色阴阴见。

春风不解禁杨花,蒙蒙乱扑行人面。

翠叶藏莺,朱帘隔燕,炉香静逐游丝转。

一场愁梦酒醒时,斜阳却照深深院。


English Translation

Along the path flowers are thinning, the countryside is fields of green,

Next to raised buildings becoming thick is the foliage dense with leaves.

Vernal breezes know not how to catkins restrain,

Allowing them to scatter on faces of passers-by like misty mizzle.


Behind verdant leaves orioles hide, swallows rest outside crimson screens,

Over the incense burner curls of smoke one another quietly seek.

After I have slept off intoxication in a melancholy dream,

The private court has come well under sunset's gleams.

By Yan Shu

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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