Hearing a Bamboo Flute on a Spring Night in Luoyang
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《春夜洛城闻笛》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:41:15

中文原文

谁家玉笛暗飞声，散入春风满洛城。

此夜曲中闻折柳，何人不起故园情。

English Translation

From whose house comes the song of the jade flute unseen?

It fills the town of Luoyang,spread by wind of spring.

Tonight I hear the farewell song of Willows Green.

To whom the tune will not nostalgic feeling bring?

The eastern capital during the Tang Dynasty.

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