Hearing Squire Li Had Gone Fishing, I Sent Him This Poem
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《闻李端公垂钓回寄赠》

中文原文( Chinese )

无限荷香染暑衣，阮郎何处弄船归？

自惭不及鸳鸯侣，犹得双双近钓矶。

English Translation

No limit to the lotuses' fragrance

they match the color of your summer clothes

my darling, don't pole your boat

into places you can't get back from

I wish we could match the affection

of all those mandarin ducks

swimming around in pairs

close by your fishing rock.

Seven-character poem

- Last updated: 2024-05-25 13:45:51

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