Thinking of Yuan Zhen While Drinking with Li Eleventh
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《同李十一醉忆元九》

- Last updated: 2024-04-12 14:29:14

中文原文

花时同醉破春愁，醉折花枝当酒筹。

忽忆故人天际去，计程今日到梁州。

English Translation

We drink beneath the flowers to drown vernal grief;

I pluck a branch in blossom to write on a leaf,

Thinking of our friend who has gone far, far away;

Counting up, he must have reached Liangzhou today.

By Bai Juyi

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