Chinese Poems

西厢记·碧云天·正宫端正好 王实甫 碧云天，黄叶地， 西风紧，北雁南飞。 晓来谁染霜林醉？ 点点是离人泪。 Blue Sky with White Clouds Wang Shifu The blue sky fleeting with white clouds, The earth covered with yellow fallen leaves. A west wind blows, and wild geese fly southwards. In early morning, woods are dotted white with frost, Tears of lovers’ sad departure. （王宏印 译）...

病中作 朱静庵 剔尽寒灯梦不成，拥衾危坐到三更。 不知何处吹羌笛，落尽梅花月满城。 Written in Illness Zhu Jing’an Wide awake, I trim the remaining wick of the cold lamp. With a quilt over me, I sit up till midnight. Where is the flute coming from? Plum blossoms fall in a moonlight-washed town. （Michelle Yeh 译）...

春蚕词 朱静庵 桃花落尽日初长，陌上雨晴桑叶黄。 拜罢三姑祭蚕室，渐笼温火暖蚕房。 Spring Silkworms: A Song Zhu Jing’an Peach blossoms have all fallen and the day is longer. On the path after the rain, mulberry leaves have turned yellow. After praying to the patron goddess, she makes an offering to the silkworm nursery And lights a low fire in bamboo baskets to warm up the room. （Michelle Yeh 译）...

春雨 朱静庵 湿云漠漠雨如丝，花满西园蝶未知。 金屋晓寒莺语涩，画楼春晚燕归迟。 宫桃有恨啼红泪，烟柳多情敛翠眉。 檀板金尊久寥落，孤城愁听角声悲。 Spring Rain Zhu Jing’an Dark rain clouds, drizzle like silk yarns, Flowers fill the west garden, unknown to butterflies. In the morning chill of the golden mansion, orioles’ bitter songs, Late spring in the adorned boudoir, swallows have not returned. Resentful peach blossoms in the palace shed crimson tears; Passionate willows in the haze knit their emerald brows. Sandalwood clappers and gold goblets have long stood still Grieving in a lonely city, I listen to the sad sound of horns. （Michelle Yeh 译）...

酒逢知己饮，诗向会人吟。 Wine is drunk when bosom friends meet, Poetry is chanted to people who understand it. （胡晓阳 译） With your bosom friends you can happily drink spirits and wine, and recite poems to the persons who can find them fine. （郭著章 译）...

刚峰宦囊 周晖 都御史刚峰海公卒于官舍，同乡宦南京者，惟户部苏怀民一人。苏点其宦囊，竹笼中俸金八两、葛布一端、旧衣数件而已。如此都御史，那可多得！王司寇风洲评之云：“不怕死，不爱钱，不立党。”此九字断尽海公生平，即千万言谀之，能加于此评乎？ Hai Rui’s Possessions and Property Zhou Hui (1546-1623) Mr. Hai Gangfeng, 1 the highest-ranking official of the Central Censorate, 2 passed away in his official residence. The only person from his hometown in Nanjing was an official called Su Huaimin in the Ministry of Revenue. 3 When Su checked the possessions and property Mr. Hai had left behind, he found nothing except eight taels of silver (his salary), several meters of plain cloth and a few pieces of some worn-out clothes in a bamboo container. Where can people find one more such Grand Censor? Wang Shizhen, Minister of Justice of his time, made his comment by saying, “He did not fear death, nor did he take a fancy to money, or from a clique with anyone.” Wang’s words properly summarized Hai Rui’s life. Even if thousands of words could be used to praise him, no other comments could surpass this one. 1. Hai Gangfeng (1514-87), better known as Hai Rui, was a famous Chinese official during the Ming Dynasty. His name has come down in history as a model of upright morality, scrupulous honesty, fairness and integrity in office. 2. It pinyin is Ducha Yuan, the top-level central supervisory agency in ancient China.…...

报秦嘉书 徐淑 既惠音令，兼赐诸物，厚顾殷勤，出于非望！ 镜有文彩之丽，钗有殊异之观，芳香既珍，素琴益好，惠异物于鄙陋，割所珍以相赐，非丰恩之厚，孰肯若斯？ 览镜执钗，情想仿佛；操琴咏诗，思心成结。敕以芳香馥身，喻以明镜鉴形，此言过矣，未获我心也。昔诗人有“飞蓬”之感，班婕妤有“谁荣”之叹。 素琴之作，当须君归；明镜之鉴，当待君还。未奉光仪，则宝钗不列也；未侍帷帐，则芳香不发也。 Xu Shu’s Reply to Her Husband’s Letter Xu Shu By sending me a letter and in addition bestowing upon me all these gifts you reveal a devotion and a solicitude far beyond my expectations. The mirror possesses elegant beauty, the hairpins are striking in appearance, the perfume has rare qualities and the plain zither is also excellent. Presenting these marvelous gifts to your humble wife you have parted with things that you yourself highly treasure to bestow them upon another. Unless it be a husband capable of truly deep affection, who could act in this way? I handle the mirror and take hold of the hairpins, my longing mood responds; I grasp the zither and recite a poem, my loving heart is tied into knots. But when you to let the perfume render my body fragrant and instruct me to let the bright mirror reflect my features your words indeed err, revealing that you have failed to fathom my heart. A poetess of the past was moved to liken her unkempt hair to “flying Artemisia”;1 in her plaintive poem Ban Jieyu asks: “For whom shall I make myself fair?”2 Until you, my lord, return, the…...

醉太平·寒食其一 王元鼎 花飞时雨残， 帘卷处春寒。 夕阳楼上望长安， 洒西风泪眼。 几时睚彻凄惶限， 几时盼得南来雁。 几番和月凭阑干， 多情人未还。 The Cold Food Day To the Tune of Intoxication in Peace Wang Yuanding Petals are dancing and pit-a-pat’s fading, Rolling up the curtain and spring chill’s coming. Gazing into Chang’an from the sunset-bathed tower, Tears streaming down her face against the zephyr. How to endure to the end the dreary days I wander, After the advent of swans from the south I hanker. The railing is my favorite haunt in the moonlight, Longing for the return of my lover. （周方珠 译）...

春游曲二首（录一） 王涯 万树江边杏，新开一夜风。 满园深浅色，照在绿波中。 “Song of Spring Journeying” Wang Ya Ten thousand almond trees by the riverbank Burst freely into bloom after one night’s wind. All over the park, colors dark and light Are reflected there in the green waves. (No. 1 from A Series of 2) （Irving Y. Lo 译）...

One of the Twenty Eight Songs of Songgu（capture） 摘要: Traditional Chinese Wise Sayings 路遥知马力，日久见人心。 The endurance of a horse Can be tested over a long distance, The heart of a person can be seen over time. （胡晓阳 译） As distance tests a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart. （郭著章 译）...

Expanded Wise Articles - Part 1 (excerpt) 摘要: Traditional Chinese Wise Sayings 当时若不登高望，谁信东流海洋深？ If I had not then ascended a height to have a distant view, I could not now know that the east-flowing waters are as deep as seas. （郭著章 译）...

浣溪沙 李珣 其一 入夏偏宜澹薄妆，越罗衣褪郁金黄，翠钿檀注助容光。 相见无言还有恨，几回判却又思量，月窗香径梦悠飏。 “Sand of Silk-Washing Stream” (Huan-ch’i sha) Li Hsün 1 The daintiness of her attire is especially nice in summer. Her Yüeh silk gown is lightly yellow, the color of turmeric. Azure patches and crimson lips enhance her beautiful face. She says nothing of her bitterness when they are together. But every time they part, she thinks of him over and over. By a moonlit window, the path smells sweet, she dreams on. （Lois Fusek 译）...

立春候，府县官吏具公服，礼勾芒，各以彩杖鞭牛者三，劝耕也。 （明）刘侗、于奕正《帝京景物略》 立春日，太守集府堂，鞭牛碎之，谓之打春。农民竟以麻麦米豆抛打春牛。……百姓买芒神、春牛亭子，置堂中，云宜田事。 （清）顾禄《清嘉录》 Whipping the Ox in Spring On the first days of the beginning of Spring, officials at the prefecture and the county levels all dress up to worship the god of farming. Afterwards, they whip the ox with decorative rods and sticks, a symbolic gesture to urge tillage. Liu Tong& Yu Yizheng (Ming Dynasty): Scenery and Events in the Capital On the day of the beginning of Spring, officials gather in town halls and shatter a clay ox by whipping it. This practice is called “beating the spring”. Farmers vie in sprinkling clay oxen with sesame, barley, rice and bean. Common people buy portraits of the god of farming, and bring clay oxen usually intended for their courtyards into their living rooms because they believe that doing so will be beneficial to husbandry. Gu Lu (Qing Dynasty): Worthy Records of the Qing Dynasty （姚红 译）...

帝京景物略 三月清明日，男女扫墓，担提尊榼，轿马后挂楮锭，粲粲然满道也。拜者、酹者、哭者、为墓除草填土者，焚楮锭次，以纸钱置坟头……哭罢，不归也，趋芳草，择园圃，列坐尽醉。有歌者苦笑无端，哀往而乐回也。是日簪柳，游高粱桥，曰踏青，多四方客未归者，祭扫日感念出游。 明/刘侗、于奕正 《帝京景物略》 The Clear Brightness Festival1 On a day in the third month of the lunar year (usually April 5 by the solar calendar), people sweep their ancestral tombs. They bring wine and food in baskets or on bamboo poles resting on their shoulders. Some travel on sedan-chairs or in carriages aglitter with strings of paper ingots2, on roads crowded with people. They kowtow and pour libations at the tombs. Then they weed and add fresh soil to the tombs. Afterwards, they burn the strings of paper ingots and place coin-shaped pieces of paper on top of the graves as an offering to the dead. After weeping, instead of leaving, they find a pleasant place with trees and flowers to sit down and drink to their hearts’ content. Some sing, laugh or cry for no reason. Though they go out sad, they return happy. On this day, people wear willows in their hair and visit the Sorghum Bridge3. This custom is called “walking on the green”4. From far and near, many come and do not think of going home early because they make this excuse to enjoy an outing. Liu Tong & Yu Yizheng (Ming Dynasty): Scenery and Events in…...

菩萨蛮 韦庄 红楼别夜堪惆怅， 香灯半卷流苏帐。 残月出门时， 美人和泪辞。 琵琶金翠羽， 弦上黄莺语。 劝我早归家， 绿窗人似花。 Tune: “Pu Sa Man” Dreaming in Autumn Wei Zhuang How can one not be sad in a red chamber on parting night? The tasseled canopy was half closed in scented lamplight. The waning moon was still hanging when I left home. With tears in her eyes, she said good-bye. She played the pipa decorated with a golden-green feather. She plucked the strings in oriole language for me to decipher. She advised me to return home soon. For the person by the green window would be like a flower in bloom. （Edward C. Chang 译） Pu’ Sa Man (To the Tune-title ‘The Strange Goddesses’) Wei Zhuang North and South I Parting at night in the upper room what preys to grief we were – Lamp-lit fragrance and those half-rolled tasseled curtains there. The moon was waning as I left the house; Your beauty shone in every farewell tear. Your gilt guitar, king-fisher blue inlaid, Its strings a golden-oriole’s serenade, Urged me to come back soon, to come back soon To the green-gauze window veiling a flower-fresh maid. （Duncan Mackintosh, Ch’eng His and T’ung Ping-Cheng 译）...

中秋月 晏殊 十轮霜影转庭梧，此夕羁人独向隅。 未必素娥无怅恨，玉蟾清冷桂花孤。 The Moon at the Mid-Autumn Night Yan Shu The pale moon shadow moves past the yard’s phoenix tree, On this night the sojourner alone is sad as sad could be; The Moon Goddess Chang-e must have the same feeling: She has only toad and osmanthus to keep her company. （陈君朴 译）...

应天长 韦庄 别来岁半音书绝， 一寸离肠千万结。 难相见，易相别， 又是玉楼花似雪。 暗相思，无处说， 惆怅夜来烟月。 想得此时情切， 泪沾红袖黦。 Thousands of Knots at Heart To the Tune of Yingtianchang Wei Zhuang No letter has come from you for half a year: one inch of separation grief, thousands of knots in the heart. It’s easy to part, but not easy to meet. Again, the jade abode is covered in the willow catkins like snow. There’s no describing how I miss you. Melancholy comes with the mist and the moon in the evening. Overwhelmed at the thought of you, I raise my red sleeves soaked in tears. （裘小龙 译）...

"Replying to Lu Cheng of Jinling on Early Spring Tour" is a work by Tang Dynasty poet Du Shenyan. This poem describes the poet's sadness of being unable to return home when he was on a business trip in a foreign land. The poem begins with a sigh, explaining that when one is away from home and on a business trip, one is "surprised" by the "phenology" of a foreign land. The middle two couplets specifically describe the "surprise", describing the scenery of the new spring in the south of the Yangtze River, and the poet's nostalgia for his hometown in the Central Plains. The last couplet points out the longing for home and expresses his original intention of being sad about the spring. This is a poem written in response to the poet's wishes, using personification to describe the early spring in the south of the Yangtze River, which is as vivid as a painting. The parallelism is neat, the structure is fine, and every word is polished. 《和晋陵陆丞早春游望》是唐代诗人杜审言的作品。此诗写诗人宦游他乡，春光满地不能归省的伤情。诗一开头就发出感慨，说明离乡宦游，对异土之“物候”才有“惊新”之意。中间二联具体写“惊新”，写江南新春景色，诗人怀念中原故土的情意。尾联点明思归和道出自己伤春的本意。这是一首和诗，采用拟人手法，写江南早春，历历如画。对仗工整，结构细密，字字锤炼。 《和晋陵陆丞早春游望》 杜审言 独有宦游人，偏惊物候新。云霞出海曙，梅柳渡江春。淑气催黄鸟，晴光转绿蘋。忽闻歌古调，归思欲沾巾。 Excursion in Early Spring Du Shenyan I'm far away from home;Things look new where I roam.Clouds bring dawn on the sea;Spring greens the willow tree.Orioles sing in…...

This is a five-character poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Zu Yong. The scenery of the south of the Yangtze River in the work is an image of scenery. The poet mainly uses details to express his longing for his hometown and his concern for his neighbors. The beautiful scenery seen during the trip is certainly not bad, but the longing for his hometown in his heart is also expressed very earnestly. 唐朝诗人祖咏的五言诗。作品里江南景色是一种意象中的景色，诗人主要用细节刻画表现对家乡的思念，对乡邻的牵挂，旅行中见到的优美景色固然不俗，但心中对故乡的思念之情也表露得很殷切。 《江南旅情》 祖咏 楚山不可及，归路但萧条。海色晴看雨，江声夜听潮。剑留南斗近，书寄北风遥。为报空潭橘，无媒寄洛桥。 Nostalgia on Southern Rivershore Zu Yong Endless stretch Southern hill on hill;My homeward way is dreary still.Clouds on the sea foretell the rain;Tide brings at night the stream's refrain.My sword shines under Southern Star;North wind won't bring word from afar.Poolside tangerine's sweet in vain.Who will send them to Northern plain?...

"Passing by Sanlu Temple" is a five-character quatrain written by Dai Shulun, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. The poem expresses his compassion and sympathy for Qu Yuan. The whole poem recalls the past and revolves around the word "resentment". The language is clear, the poetry is implicit, and the poem is profound and meaningful, which has won praise from poetry critics of all generations. 《过三闾庙》是唐代诗人戴叔伦所写的一首五言绝句。该诗表达了对屈原的悲悯和同情。全诗抚今追昔，紧紧围绕“怨”字下笔，语言明朗，诗意含蓄，隽永深远，深得历代诗评家的赞誉。 《过三闾庙》 戴叔伦 沅湘流不尽，屈子怨何深！日暮秋风起，潇潇枫树林。 The Temple of Qu Yuan Dai Shulun Rivers Xiang and Yuan seem to weepOver the poet's sorrow deep.At dusk rises the autumn breeze;Leaves on leaves fall from maple trees....

"Huanxisha: Recalling the Old Travels with the Mountains and Rivers Full of Eyes" is a poem about looking into the distance from a tower and reminiscing about the past. In the poem, He Nongyan's style expresses the sad, depressed and resentful feelings, and expresses the emotions in a very lingering and tortuous way. The first part of the poem evokes the protagonist's memories of the past through the scenery in front of him, and uses the bright spring scenery as a background to express his lingering sorrow and parting. The second part expresses the poet's sorrow and sadness. 《浣溪沙·满目江山忆旧游》为登楼望远、忆旧感怀之词。词中禾农艳的笔调抒写凄怆、沉郁的怨慕之情，将情感表达得极为缠绵曲折。词之上片由眼前的景物勾起主人公对往事的回忆，以明媚的春光作衬托，表达其缠绵悱恻的离愁别恨，下片抒写词人心中的哀怨和愁苦。 《浣溪沙·满目江山忆旧游》 慕容岩卿妻 满目江山忆旧游，汀洲花草弄春柔。长亭舣住木兰舟。 好梦易随流水去，芳心犹逐晓云愁，行人莫上望京楼。 Silk-Washing StreamMurong Yanqing’s Wife I recall bygone trips, with hills and streams in view,In mild spring breeze riverside grass and flowers sway.Would orchid boats stay at Pavilion of Adieu! It’s easy for sweet dreams to go with running streams;In vain will go my heart as sad morning clouds part.Roamer, don’t mount the tower to gaze far away....

"On the 19th day of the 11th month of the Xinchou year, I wrote a poem to Ziyou outside the west gate of Zhengzhou and sent it to him" is a poem by Su Shi, a writer in the Song Dynasty. This is the earliest poem that Su Shi wrote to his younger brother Su Zhe, expressing the love between brothers and the sorrow of parting. This poem first describes the mood at the time of parting, then the longing for each other's figure, then the bitter feelings and the passing of time, and finally the recollection of the past and the expectation of the future. The whole poem is full of deep feelings and twists and turns, fully expressing the inseparable love between the two brothers. 《辛丑十一月十九日既与子由别于郑州西门之外马上赋诗一篇寄之》是宋代文学家苏轼的诗作。这是苏轼写给弟弟苏辙最早的传世之作，抒发了手足之情和离愁别恨。此诗先写临别时心境，次写对对方身影的顾望关念，再写情怀凄苦、岁月易逝，末写对往事的的回想和对未来的期盼。全诗情深意切，曲折顿宕，充分抒发了兄弟俩依依难分的衷情。 《寄子由》 苏轼 辛丑十一月十九日既与子由别于郑州西门之外马上赋诗一篇寄之不饮胡为醉兀兀？此心已逐归鞍发。归人犹自念庭闱，今我何以慰寂寞？登高回首坡垄隔，但见乌帽出复没。苦寒念尔衣裘薄，独骑瘦马踏残月。路人行歌居人乐，童仆怪我苦凄恻。亦知人生要有别，但恐岁月去飘忽。寒灯相对记畴昔，夜雨何时听萧瑟？君知此意不可忘，慎勿苦爱高官职。 To My Brother Su Shi Written in the saddle on the nineteenth of the eleventh month of the year Xinchou, after seeing Ziyou off outside the West Gate of Zhengzhou.Why, without wine, this drunken, dizzy feeling?My heart is following the horseman home;Your thoughts turn homeward now,But what have I to cure my loneliness?I climb a height for one last look at you—Your black cap bobbing down the sunken road.It…...

"Fude Jiangbianliu" is a work by the Tang Dynasty poet Yu Xuanji. The first four lines of this poem depict a beautiful and misty picture of willows by the river: green stretches to the bank, willow smoke covers the distant building, shadows spread over the water, and flowers fall on people's heads; the last four lines turn from the above description to the description of unfortunate circumstances and sorrow, writing about the roots of the willow trees deeply hidden in the fish cellar under the water, the willow branches reluctantly tying up the guest boat, and the night of wind and rain, waking up from a dream and adding a bit of sorrow. The whole poem blends the scene and the mood, with twists and turns, and beautiful artistic conception. It is a superior work of describing the scene and expressing emotions. 《赋得江边柳》是唐代女诗人鱼玄机的作品。此诗前四句描绘了一幅美丽迷蒙的江边烟柳图：翠色连岸，柳烟远楼，影铺水面，花落人头；后四句由上面的写景，转入书写不幸的际遇和的愁情，写柳树的根深深的藏在水底鱼窖，柳枝依依不舍系住客舟，风雨潇潇的夜晚，从梦中惊醒又增添几许愁绪。全诗情景交融，曲折有致，意境优美，是写景抒情的上乘之作。 《赋得江边柳》 鱼玄机 翠色连荒岸，烟姿入远楼。影铺秋水面，花落钓人头。根老藏鱼窟，枝低系客舟。萧萧风雨夜，惊梦复添愁。 Composed on the Theme "Willows by the Riverside" Yu Hsuan-chi Kingfisher green lines the deserted shore,the misty vision stretches to a distant tower.Their shadows overspread the autumn-clear waterand catkins fall on the angler’s head.Old foots form hollows where fish hide;limbs reach down to moor the traveler’s boat.Soughing, soughing in the wind and rain of…...

"Putianle" describes the evening scene by the river in the clear autumn. The rice has been harvested, and the cattails and bulrushes by the water are beautiful. The mountain light and the dusk are condensed and gathered, and the reflection of the river contains the charm of autumn. The river tide is calm, and the autumn water looks wide; the autumn sky is vast and empty, which makes the lone sail look even thinner. The geese are startled by the autumn cold, fly through the thin clouds by the mountain, and land on the beach by the river. The red sun sets in the west, and the autumn wind blows at the ferry. The protagonist stares blankly, and endless poetic thoughts and melancholy accumulate in his heart. This descriptive work has a far-reaching artistic conception and a broad realm. The words and lines are permeated with the author's infinite worries about wandering in a foreign land. The forging of words and sentences is particularly skillful, such as the word "shou" in "the lone sail is thin", which not only describes the small sail, but also reflects the poet's own psychological sadness. 《普天乐》写的是清秋时候江边晚景。稻谷已经收割，水边的菰和蒲正是秀美之时。山光与暮色相凝相聚，江水倒影中蕴含着秋的神韵。江潮平静，显得秋水宽阔；秋空辽远空旷，反衬得孤帆更加瘦小。雁阵为秋寒所惊，穿过山边薄云，落在江边沙滩上。红日西沉，秋风吹拂着渡口，主人公凝目痴望，无尽的诗思与情愁在心中郁积。这篇写景之作，意境辽远，境界开阔，字里行间渗透着作者漂泊异乡的无限忧思。锻字铸句尤有功力，如“孤帆瘦”的“瘦”字，既写帆小，又是诗人自身心理忧伤的投射。 《普天乐·平沙落雁》 鲜于必仁 稻粱收，菰蒲秀。山光凝暮，江影涵秋。潮平远水宽，天阔孤帆瘦。雁阵惊寒埋云岫，下长空飞满沧洲。西风渡头，斜阳岸口，不尽诗愁。 Swans on the ShoalTo the…...