The Waterfall at Lu Shan
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《望庐山瀑布》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:28:55

中文原文

日照香炉生紫烟，遥看瀑布挂前川。

飞流直下三千尺，疑是银河落九天。

English Translation

In sunshine, Censer Peak breathes purple mist.

A jutting stream, the cataract hangs in spray

Far off, then plunges down three thousand feet -

As if the sky had dropped the Milky Way.

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