On the Terrace of Assembled Angels I
- Poetry of Zhang Hu

《集灵台之一》

- Last updated: 2024-05-15 10:24:46

中文原文

日光斜照集灵台，红树花迎晓露开。

昨夜上皇新授箓，太真含笑入帘来。

English Translation

The sun has gone slanting over a lordly roof

And red-blossoming branches have leaned toward the dew

Since the Emperor last night summoned a new favourite

And Lady Yang's bright smile came through the curtains.

Seven-character-quatrain

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