Lonely boudoir
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen

《观燕》

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

Lonely boudoir by Zhu Shuzhen
中文原文

深闺寂寞带斜晖,又是黄昏半掩扉。

燕子不知人意思,檐前故作一双飞。


English Translation

Lonely boudoir,

i close the door when the sunset comes.

Why don't two swallows know my sadness?

fly together,whisper in the spring wind.

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.

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