To Thank the Scholar Li for the Gift of a Bamboo Mat
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《酬李学士寄簟》

- Last updated: 2024-05-16 10:33:28

中文原文

珍簟新铺翡翠楼，泓澄玉水记方流。

唯应云扇情相似，同向银床恨早秋。

English Translation

This precious mat, newly spread out

in the Halcyon Pavilion

makes me think of the deep,

clear water that marks our local river

only a fan made of clouds

could match your priceless gift

I turn toward my silver bed

regretting the early autumn.

Seven-character poem

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