Willows
- Poetry of Zhang Xu

《柳》
Willows by Zhang Xu
中文原文( Chinese )

濯濯烟条拂地垂，城边楼畔结春思。

请君细看风流意，未减灵和殿里时。

English Translation

Bright green misty branches gently stroke the ground.

Spring thoughts come by towered shore just outside of town.

I ask you to read carefully these dissipated lines.

Poet powers from my palace days are still just fine.

Zhang Xu is a clever man, a heavy drinker, a smasher of icons. The first line is as conventional as can be. The second gives no warning of what follows. The rest is as you find it here.

- Last updated: 2024-11-10 11:23:46
· Pre： Spring Grasses
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

© 2024 CN-Poetry.com Chinese Poems in English