Lonely boudoir
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen

《观燕》

中文原文( Chinese )

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

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

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