On the western Tower of Jinling
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《金陵城西楼月下吟》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:33:42

On the western Tower of Jinling by Li Bai (Li Po)

中文原文

金陵夜寂凉风发，独上高楼望吴越。

白云映水摇空城，白露垂珠滴秋月。

月下沉吟久不归，古来相接眼中稀。

解道澄江净如练，令人长忆谢玄晖。

English Translation

The cool breeze blows on silent night in Town of Stone,

To view the south I mount the high tower alone.

White clouds and city walls mirrored on ripples swoon;

Dewdrops look like pearls dripping from the autumn moon.

Crooning long, I won't go back, drowned in moonrays;

How few are connoisseurs in my eyes since olden days!

Seeing the river crystal-clear and silver-white，

How I miss the unforgettable poet bright!

The poet gives free rein to his imagination in describing the scenery of Jinling or the Town of Stone: clouds could swoon, pearls could drip from the moon, and the poet could be drowned in moonlight. The unforgettable poet refers to Xie Tiao （464-499）.

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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.

On the western Tower of Jinling - Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

List of Chinese poets

On the western Tower of Jinling
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)