On Hearing Jun the Buddhist Monk From Shu Play His Lute
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《听蜀僧濬弹琴》

English Rendering

The monk from Shu with his green silk lute-case,

Walking west down Omei Mountain,

Has brought me by one touch of the strings

The breath of pines in a thousand valleys.

I hear him in the cleansing brook,

I hear him in the icy bells;

And I feel no change though the mountain darken

And cloudy autumn heaps the sky.

On Hearing Jun the Buddhist Monk From Shu Play His Lute by Li Bai (Li Po)
On Hearing Jun the Buddhist Monk From Shu Play His Lute by Li Bai (Li Po)

Original Text (中文原文)

蜀僧抱绿绮,西下峨眉峰。

为我一挥手,如听万壑松。

客心洗流水,馀响入霜钟。

不觉碧山暮,秋云暗几重。

Analysis & Context

Five-character-regular-verse

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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