Pavilion of Xie Tiao
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
Where the two poets parted,
The scene seems brokenhearted.
The moon's left in the sky;
The stream flows with deep sigh.
The pool reflects sunlight;
Bamboos shiver at night.
The present like the past;
Long, long will friendship last.
Xie Tiao ( 464-499 ) was a poet who parted with another poet at Xuancheng and built a pavilion there. Disfavored, he was put in jail and died in prison. Disgraced, Li Bai came to the pavilion and sighed for Xie's misfortune.
This poem is Li Bai's work commemorating Xie Tiao. Xie Tiao was a renowned poet, and Xie Gong Pavilion was a place where he once composed poems and held banquets. Through the scenery of Xie Gong Pavilion, the poem expresses Li Bai's remembrance of Xie Tiao, lamenting the passage of time and the loneliness of human affairs, while also blending in the poet's personal experiences and aspirations.
谢公离别处，风景每生愁。
客散青天月，山空碧水流。
池花春映日，窗竹夜鸣秋。
今古一相接，长歌怀旧游。
- 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.
- Song of Qiupu XV
- Song of Qiupu XIV
- Song of Qiupu XIII
- Song of Qiupu XII
- Sobering from Drunkenness in Spring Day
- Lodging with the Master of the Clear Stream
- An Impromptu Verse After Being Drunk on Tongguan Mountain
- Song of a Southern Maiden: Winter
- Staying Overnight with a Friend
- The Sick Horse