Sitting Alone in Face of Peak Jingting
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《独坐敬亭山》

- Last updated: 2024-04-17 15:18:09

中文原文

众鸟高飞尽，孤云独去闲。

相看两不厌，只有敬亭山。

English Translation

All birds have flown away,so high;

A lonely cloud drifts on,so free.

We are not tired,the Peak and I,

Nor I of him,nor he of me.

North of Xuancheng,in present-day Anhui Province.

· Pre： Solitude

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