The Beauty Born in South
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《美人出南国》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:44:42

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。

English Translation

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.

By Li Bai (Li Po)

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