Song of Green Water
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《渌水曲》

- Last updated: 2024-03-24 16:47:21

中文原文

渌水明秋月，南湖采白蘋。

荷花娇欲语，愁杀荡舟人。

English Translation

O'er water green the autumn moonshine s bright,

On Southern Lake they gather lilies white.

The lotus-blooms so lovely as to speak,

Outshine the bashful oars women's fair cheek.

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