English Rendering
The crescent moon looks like old Autumn's golden brow,
Its deep reflection flows with limpid water blue.
I'll leave the town on Clear Stream for Three Gorges now.
O Moon, how I miss you when you are out of view!
The Moon over the Eyebrow Mountains
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《峨眉山月歌》
Original Text (中文原文)
峨眉山月半轮秋，影入平羌江水流。
夜发清溪向三峡，思君不见下渝州。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed in 725 AD, when Li Bai left his hometown in Sichuan and traveled east along the Yangtze River. During his journey, he set off at night from Qingxi, passed by Mount Emei and the Pingqiang River, and eventually headed toward the Three Gorges and Yuzhou. At this time, Li Bai was young and ambitious, eager to explore the world and achieve great deeds. However, as he sailed under the moonlight with the river flowing by, the scenery stirred his emotions, and he couldn't help but think of a distant friend, leading him to write this highly evocative and emotionally resonant poem.
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
- 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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