On Death Bed
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《临终歌》

- Last updated: 2023-12-23 11:53:10

中文原文

大鹏飞兮振八裔，中天摧兮力不济。

馀风激兮万世，游扶桑兮挂石袂。

后人得之传此，仲尼亡兮谁为出涕？

English Translation

When flies the roc he shakes the world,

In mid air his weakened wings are furled.

The wind he's raised still stirs the sea,

He hangs his left wing on sun-side tree.

Posterity mine,hear,O,hear!

Confucius dead.who'll shed a tear?

By Li Bai

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