Sent to Feiqing
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《寄飞卿》

- Last updated: 2024-06-19 17:36:40

Sent to Feiqing by Yu Xuanji
中文原文

阶砌乱蛩鸣，庭柯烟露清。

月中邻乐响，楼上远山明。

珍簟凉风著，瑶琴寄恨生。

嵇君懒书札，底物慰秋情。

English Translation

Crickets chirp on the stair-steps

they sound confused to me

in the misty courtyard, along the branches,

clear dewdrops hang

a moonlit night—I hear faint music

coming from my neighbor's

if I went upstairs I could see the mountains

distinct even in the distance

a cool breeze comes to stroke me

as I sit on my bamboo mat

and I wish I had a magic lute

to help me get through this life

I feel like that philosopher

who wrote such lazy letters

wanting some way to express

the moods and thoughts of autumn.

Five-character poem

· Pre： Three Poems Presented to His Majesty on Visiting Xinfeng and Warmsprings Palace II
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