Peach-blossom River
- Poetry of Zhang Xu

《桃花溪》

- Last updated: 2024-05-13 09:49:02

中文原文

隐隐飞桥隔野烟，石矶西畔问渔船。

桃花尽日随流水，洞在清溪何处边？

English Translation

A bridge flies away through a wild mist,

Yet here are the rocks and the fisherman's boat.

Oh, if only this river of floating peach-petals

Might lead me at last to the mythical cave!

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