Rain falls in the early spring
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen

《江城子》

- Last updated: 2024-03-17 18:52:04

中文原文

斜风细雨作春寒，对尊前，忆前欢。

曾把梨花，寂寞泪阑干。

芳草断烟南浦路，和别泪，看青山。

昨宵结得梦夤缘，水云间，悄无言。

争奈醒来，愁恨又依然。

展转衾裯空懊恼，天易见，见伊难。

English Translation

Rain falls in the early spring,

to the wine i silently cry.

Once i plucked the pear flowers leaning on the balustrade.

Grass towards ferry,i begged you stay,

you had no word but tearfully gazed at hill.

Last night i dreamed of you between river and cloud.

How should i feel after i woke up before i was gonna touch face in dream?

Toss about in bed,i wished to dream of you again.

The night sky is easy to see but not your tender love.

By Zhu Shuzhen

· Pre： Sit alone

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