English Rendering
The water clear cleans the moonlight bright;
The moon bright, white egrets fly.
My man’s coming with the maid so fair,
Singing on their way home ’neath the moon bright.
Song of Qiupu XIII
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《秋浦歌 · 其十三》Original Text (中文原文)
渌水净素月，月明白鹭飞。
郎听采菱女，一道夜歌归。
Meaning & Analysis
This poem is the thirteenth in Li Bai's "Songs of the Autumn River" series, composed during his later travels in the Qiupu region. Having experienced life's vicissitudes, the poet found spiritual solace in Qiupu's landscape and its people's simple ways. Like an elegant ink-wash painting, the poem blends natural beauty with folk life through understated realism, showcasing a rare serene beauty in Li Bai's oeuvre that reflects his yearning for pure humanity and reverence for natural life.
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.
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- Consoling Myself
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- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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