A Love Song
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《杨叛儿》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:33:16

A Love Song by Li Bai (Li Po)
中文原文

君歌杨叛儿,妾劝新丰酒。

何许最关人,乌啼白门柳。

乌啼隐杨花,君醉留妾家。

博山炉中沉香火,双烟一气凌紫霞。


English Translation

You sing a lover's lore;

I urge you to drink more.

What touches you and me?

Crows nest on willow tree.

Crows hide  mid poplar flowers;

Drunk,you stay in my bowers.

Behold the censer and the sandalwood in fire!

Two wreaths of smoke combine and rise higher and higher.

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.

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