Song of the Tow-Men
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《丁都护歌》

English Translation

They tow a boat and upstream wade

Between two shores alive with trade.

Under the heat pants buffalo.

O think what pain it is to tow!

The water's muddy and can not

Be drunk:thick silt fills half the pot.

When tow-men sing their song's refrain.

With broken heart,tears fall like rain.

Ten thousand quarry-men would groan

To haul to riverside rough stone.

If rocky mountains could have ears,

Would they not melt into sad tears?

By Li Bai (Li Po)

中文原文( Chinese )

云阳上征去，两岸饶商贾。

吴牛喘月时，拖船一何苦。

水浊不可饮，壶浆半成土。

一唱都护歌，心摧泪如雨。

万人凿盘石，无由达江浒。

君看石芒砀，掩泪悲千古。

- Last updated: 2024-09-15 10:00:30

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