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

《集灵台之二》

- Last updated: 2024-05-15 10:27:25

中文原文

虢国夫人承主恩，平明骑马入宫门。

却嫌脂粉污颜色，淡扫蛾眉朝至尊。

English Translation

The Emperor has sent for Lady Guoguo.

In the morning, riding toward the palace-gate,

Disdainful of the paint that might have marred her beauty,

To meet him she smooths her two moth-tiny eyebrows.

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