River Journey
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《江行》
River Journey by Yu Xuanji
中文原文( Chinese )

大江横抱武昌斜，鹦鹉洲前户万家。

画舸春眠朝未足，梦为蝴蝶也寻花。

烟花已入鸬鹚港，画舸犹沿鹦鹉洲。

醉卧醒吟都不觉，今朝惊在汉江头。

English Translation

We cross the Yangtze diagonally

heading for Wuchang city

passing Parrot Island where thousands of families live

in the early hours the painted barge

has a cargo of lovers and sleepers

and I dream I've become a butterfly

seeking the flowers too


Dim mist and we're already sailing

into Cormorant Harbor

I thought we were still in the middle

somewhere near Parrot Island

I went to bed drunk, lay awake

singing all kinds of nonsense

got up on the Hanjiang River side

stunned to be back on dry land.

Seven-character poem

- Last updated: 2024-05-25 13:40:56
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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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