Elegy on Master Brewer Ji of Xuanchen
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《哭宣城善酿纪叟》

- Last updated: 2023-12-22 11:29:04

中文原文

纪叟黄泉里，还应酿老春。

夜台无晓日，沽酒与何人？

English Translation

For thirsty souls are you still brewing

Good wine of Old Spring,Master Ji?

In underworld are you not ruing

To lose a connoisseur like me?

Xuanchen, in present-day Anhui Province.

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.

List of Chinese poets