Passing One Night in an Old Woman's Hut at the Foot of Mount Five Pines
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《宿五松山下荀媪家》

- Last updated: 2023-12-23 11:47:39

中文原文

我宿五松下，寂寥无所欢

田家秋作苦，邻女夜舂寒。

跪进雕胡饭，月光明素盘。

令人惭漂母，三谢不能餐。

English Translation

I lodge under the five pine trees,

Lonely,I feel not quite at ease.

Peasants work hard in autumn old:

Husking rice at night,the maid's cold.

Wild rice is offered on her knees;

The plate in moonlight seems to freeze.

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude.

Do I deserve the hard-earned food?

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