English Rendering
The water spreads out like a bolt of silk white;
The boundless lake seems to rise to Heaven’s height.
We may float on the water ‘neath the moon bright
And gaze on flowers aboard a boat with wine.
Song of Qiupu XII
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《秋浦歌 · 其十二》Original Text (中文原文)
水如一匹练，此地即平天。
耐可乘明月，看花上酒船。
Meaning & Analysis
This sixth poem in Li Bai's seventeen "Song of Qiupu" stands out for its transcendent clarity amidst the series' prevailing melancholy. While the collection largely expresses aging and unfulfilled ambitions, this piece emerges like a fresh breeze, capturing a moonlit boat ride on Pingtian Lake that reveals the poet's spiritual solace and momentary unity with nature following political disillusionment.
Related Themes
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
- The Song of a Southern Maid V
- Observing the Moon
- Su Wu
- Ancient Air: A Northern Belle
- Awaiting the Wine That Doesn’t Come
- Consoling Myself
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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