On a Spring Day Thinking of Li Bai
- Poetry of Du Fu

《春日忆李白》

- Last updated: 2024-04-06 20:05:44

On a Spring Day Thinking of Li Bai by Du Fu

中文原文

白也诗无敌，飘然思不群。

清新庾开府，俊逸鲍参军。

渭北春天树，江东日暮云。

何时一樽酒，重与细论文。

English Translation

Li Bai—poems unrivaled,

thought soaring airborne, never banal:

the freshness, newness of Yu the Commander,

the rare excellence of Adjutant Bao.

Here by the northern Wei, springtime trees;

east of the Yangzi, clouds at the close of day—

when will we share a cask of wine,

once more debate the subtleties of the written word?

Yu Xin (513–581), who held the title of Commander Unequaled in Honor, and Bao Zhao (414–466),who held a military post late in life, were two of the most distinguished poets of the period preceding the Tang.

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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 a Spring Day Thinking of Li Bai - Poetry of Du Fu

List of Chinese poets

On a Spring Day Thinking of Li Bai
- Poetry of Du Fu