A Fairy Tale
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《寓言》

中文原文( Chinese )

红桃处处春色，碧柳家家月明。

楼上新妆待夜，闺中独坐含情。

芙蓉月下鱼戏，䗖𬟽天边雀声。

人世悲欢一梦，如何得作双成。

English Translation

Peach blossoms everywhere is the color of spring.

Jade willows stand in every moonlit courtyard.

Upon a tower, newly dressed, I await the night.

In my room, I sit alone, and cherish my heart.

By these water lilies beneath the moon, fish play.

Of that rainbow on the horizon, sparrows are singing.

In this world, joy and sadness are entirely a dream.

How about we dream this dream together?

Yu Xuanji wrote this during her courtship, sending it as an informal gift to Li Yi, her husband-to-be. It could be a poem for someone later.

- Last updated: 2024-11-25 18:53:01

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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.

List of Chinese poets