English Rendering
The Beauty comes from South,
Blooming like lotus flower.
Her teeth brighten her mouth,
She's lofty like a tower.
Long since palace maids vied
To outshine beaming eyes.
Come back to riverside,
Her songs turn to sad sighs.
The Beauty Born in South
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)
《美人出南国》
Original Text (中文原文)
美人出南国。灼灼芙蓉姿。
皓齿终不发。芳心空自持。
由来紫宫女。共妒青蛾眉。
归去潇湘沚。沉吟何足悲。
Analysis & Context
This poem adopts an extended metaphor in its entirety and articulates the poet’s profound grief and pent-up melancholy over the frustration of his unfulfilled political aspirations within the traditional literary trope of a beauty fading with age.
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.
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- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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