To the Willow by the River
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《赋得江边柳》

- Last updated: 2024-05-16 11:03:34

To the Willow by the River by Yu Xuanji
中文原文

翠色连荒岸，烟姿入远楼。

影铺秋水面，花落钓人头。

根老藏鱼窟，枝低系客舟。

萧萧风雨夜，惊梦复添愁。

English Translation

The vendure of willows spread the riverbank,

i seem to see the tall attic through the mist.

In the river,the shadow of willow leaves dances.

i go fishing alone,willow catkins fall on my shoulders.

The roots of willow in the river become fish's nest,

the twigs of willow by the river clench transient's boat.

In this rainy night,wind breezes me coldly,do you know

how wishful i'm to wait for you come back to my pillow?

Yu Xuanji: 鱼玄机(AD844-871),she is a talented female poet in Tang poems.But because she got married with a bad boy.After she left her bad husband,she became a whore who lived in Xianyi nunnery( 咸宜观) where the cherry flowers bloomed.There she asked men to sleep with her.One day,her bondmaid Lv Qiao(绿翘) seized men with her.Because Lv Qiao grew up and also wanted men to sleep with her.Yu Xuanji went crazy and killed Lv Qiao.Finally,she was sentenced to death

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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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