English Rendering
Those who speak do not know, those who know are silent,
I heard this saying from the old gentleman.
If the old gentleman was one who knew the way,
Why did he feel able to write five thousand words?
Reading Laozi
- Poetry of Bai Juyi
《读老子》
Original Text (中文原文)
言者不如知者默，此语吾闻于老君。
若道老君是知者，缘何自著五千文。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed by Bai Juyi after reading the Dao De Jing, drawing upon philosophical reflections on material possessions and worldly affairs inspired by Laozi's seminal Daoist philosophical text.
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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- Early Spring
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- On Qiantang Lake in Spring
- Spring View in Hangzhou
- Song of Willow Branch
- 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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