Song of White Cloud - Farewell to Liu the Recluse
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《白云歌送刘十六归山》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:58:53

中文原文

楚山秦山皆白云，白云处处长随君。

长随君，君入楚山里，云亦随君度湘水。

湘水上，女萝衣，白云堪卧君早归。

English Translation

From the mountains you come; to the mountains you go，

White clouds wll follow you high and low,

High and low.

When you come into South em mountains high,

Following you, o'er Southern streams white clouds will fly.

O'er Southern water blue，

There'sivy cloak for you,

You should go back and lie on cloud as white clouds do.

By Li Bai (Li Po)

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