Eunuchs and Cock-Fighters
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《大车扬飞尘 (“古风”其二十四)》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:57:40

中文原文

大车扬飞尘。亭午暗阡陌。

中贵多黄金。连云开甲宅。

路逢斗鸡者。冠盖何辉赫。

鼻息干虹霓。行人皆怵惕。

世无洗耳翁。谁知尧与跖。

English Translation

The dust which eur u chs'carriages raise

Darkens at noon the public ways.

Of their gold the eunuchs are proud；

Their mansions rise to scrape the cloud.

I meet those who can make cocks fight,

With caps and cabs， so fair and bright.

Into rainbows they blow their breath,

Passers-by are frightened to death.

There is no connoisseur in this age.

Who can tell a thief from as age?

The poet criticizes the rich and influential eunuchs and cock-fighters.

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