After the day you left
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen

《生查子》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:51:40

中文原文

寒食不多时，几日东风恶。

无绪倦寻芳，闲却秋千索。

玉减翠裙交，病怯罗衣薄。

不忍卷帘看，寂寞梨花落。

English Translation

After the day you left,

east wind blows over my garden.

I'm tired of seeking those beautiful flowers,

just play on a swing alone.

Dress gets too big for me after I lose my weight for missing you.

I couldn't bear to draw the curtain back,

just fear to see those pear flowers fall.

By Zhu Shuzhen

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