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

《独坐敬亭山》
Sitting Alone in Face of Peak Jingting by Li Bai (Li Po)
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.

Li Bai made many trips to Jingting Mountain in Anhui Province, west of Shanghai. The area is known for its low-hanging clouds, ancient granite rocks, and twisted pines that have been the subject of many painters and poets. In this poem, Li Bai expresses the opinion that the beauty of Jingtingshan (敬亭山) would never bore.

中文原文( Chinese )

众鸟高飞尽，孤云独去闲。

相看两不厌，只有敬亭山。

- Last updated: 2025-06-08 16:04:12
· 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.

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