On a Cold New Year’s Eve
- Poetry of Yu Qian

《除夜太原寒甚》

- Last updated: 2024-06-24 13:06:40

On a Cold New Year’s Eve by Yu Qian
中文原文

寄语天涯客，轻寒底用愁。

春风来不远，只在屋东头。

English Translation

I tell those who roam

To make light of cold.

Spring wind will soon come

Eastwards as foretold.

By Yu Qian

· Pre： Summer Day At The Mountain Pavilion
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