It Rained on Mid-autumn Festival
- Poetry of Zhu Shuzhen

《中秋值雨》

中文原文( Chinese )

积叶冷翻阶，痴云暗海涯。

楼高劳望眼，天暝隔吟怀。

宛转愁难遣，团圆事未谐。

四檐飞急雨，寂寂坐空斋。

English Translation

Fallen leaves piled up on the chilly stair;

Motionless cloud dimmed the edge of the sea.

On the high tower my eyes gazed in air;

Dusk fell and banned my mood of writing poetry.

My sorrows lingered ’nd couldn’t be expelled;

Reunion turned not a harmonious tune.

The rain from four-side eaves rapidly fell,

And I sat alone in this empty room.

By Zhu Shuzhen

- Last updated: 2024-07-26 12:08:20

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