Official Drums
- Poetry of Li He

《官街鼓》
Official Drums by Li He
English Translation

At dawn official drumbeats hasten the sunrise;

At dusk the booming drums call the moon to the skies.

When yellow willows put forth new buds in the town,

In tomb is buried the favorite of the crown.

The drums have boomed a thousand years, still shines the sun,

But ancient emperors of Qin and Han have done.

Your hair once black may turn white as reed flowers stand,

The drums with southern hills will ever guard our land.

Even immortals were buried in the sky,

The drumbeats and the water-clock will never die.

"Official Drums" is a seven-character ancient poem written by the Tang Dynasty poet Li He. Through the depiction of the sound of the Guanjie Drum, the poet contrasts the intangible nature of time and the fleeting nature of life with the infinite universe and the eternal drumbeat. This expresses a profound lament for the passage of time. Li He, who died young and lived at the bottom of society, often felt the brevity of life and was particularly sensitive to the changes of the world, making his reflections on the passage of time even deeper.

中文原文( Chinese )

晓声隆隆催转日，暮声隆隆呼月出。

汉城黄柳映新帘，柏陵飞燕埋香骨。

磓碎千年日长白，孝武秦皇听不得。

从君翠发芦花色，独共南山守中国。

几回天上葬神仙，漏声相将无断绝。

- Last updated: 2025-10-07 15:36:32
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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.

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