On the Flowery Tower in the Town of Silk
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《登锦城散花楼》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:30:16

中文原文

日照锦城头，朝光散花楼。

金窗夹绣户，珠箔悬银钩。

飞梯绿云中，极目散我忧。

暮雨向三峡，春江绕双流。

今来一登望，如上九天游。

English Translation

The sun shines on the Town of Silk, the Tower

Is steeped in morning glow as strewn with flowers.

By golden windows and embroidered doors,

The pearly curtains hang on silver hooks.

Into green clouds a flight of stairways soars;

The gloom's dispelled at such sunny outlooks.

The evening rain towards Three Gorges flies;

Around the town wind rivers crystal-clear.

Today I come to feast on this my eyes.

As if I visited Celestial Sphere.

By Li Bai (Li Po)

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