A Suggestion to My Friend Liu
- Poetry of Bai Juyi
There's a gleam of green in an old bottle,
There's a stir of red in the quiet stove,
There's a feeling of snow in the dusk outside --
What about a cup of wine inside?
Five-character-quatrain
This poem was written around the 10th year of Yuanhe in the reign of Emperor Xianzong of Tang (815). At that time, Bai Juyi had been demoted to Jiangzhou Sima due to the failure of the "Yongzhen Reform." During his days away from the political center, he gradually shifted his focus to life itself, finding solace in everyday affairs. This poem, written in such a state of mind, paints a warm winter night invitation with a light and natural touch. With the fragrance of slightly intoxicating wine and the warmth of a small red clay stove, the poet sincerely invites his friend Liu Shijiu to share this rare moment of tranquility.
绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉。
晚来天欲雪，能饮一杯无？
- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.
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