English Rendering
The firelight throws a spell on the sky and the land;
The fireball’s red stars mingle with purple smoke.
The flushed lad’s face is lit up by the moon;
His song rises high and moves the cold stream.
Song of Qiupu XIV
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《秋浦歌 · 其十四》
Original Text (中文原文)
炉火照天地，红星乱紫烟。
赧郎明月夜，歌曲动寒川。
Analysis & Context
This poem is the fourteenth in Li Bai's "Song of Qiupu" series, composed during his later years while traveling in the Qiupu region. As a major copper mining and smelting center in the Tang Dynasty, Qiupu provided Li Bai with a unique subject—he turned his poetic gaze to the smelting labor scene, a topic rarely addressed by previous literati. This work not only depicts a magnificent labor scene but also stands as a masterpiece that positively portrays industrial workers and successfully poeticizes their image in Chinese poetic history.
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.
- The Song of a Southern Maid V
- Observing the Moon
- Su Wu
- Ancient Air: A Northern Belle
- Awaiting the Wine That Doesn’t Come
- Consoling Myself
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
The Masters' Directory
Journey through the dynasties. Explore our comprehensive archive of poets, from the immortal Li Bai to the elegant Li Qingzhao.
View All Poets →