Chinese scroll translation

[lonny tao]

For many years I have this scroll hanging on the wall.

But what I means...I do not know.

I can only read the first big character, that is friend?

Anyone who can help me thanks.

Lonny

[edelweis]

it seems to be a poem:

友情可贵

聚也匆匆；

散也匆匆。

花开花落总无穷；

唯有友情藏心中。

[lonny tao]

But what does it mean in English?

[skylee]

Consider -

Friendship is precious.

Our gathering was brief.

Our farewell was brief.

There will always be flowers blooming and withering. (meaning things do not remain the same all the time)

The only thing that stays in the heart is friendship.

[lonny tao]

Thanks for the translation.

It`s a nice poem also.

Lonny.

[skylee]

It is not that nice imho. Chinese people are generally demanding and harsh about poetry. It is not easy to write a good poem by Chinese standards. And what's in the picture is not really a poem.

[lonny tao]

Today I translate the English words in my own language (dutch).

I see also that it`s not really a poem.

But poem or not, I like the scroll, it was cheap, made in China I think, but I like it.

There is also a picture on the scroll.

[OneEye]

I don't get it. How did translating a translation allow you to see that it wasn't a poem?

[lonny tao]

This scroll is translate in English.

Today I write this English translation in dutch words because Dutch is my language.

And when I read the text in my language, I read that it is not really a poem.

[OneEye]

Yeah, I understood that the first time. I'm saying that it doesn't make any sense. You can't possibly be able to tell whether it's a poem or not without reading it in the original and knowing whether it meets the criteria of poetry in the language it's written in.