Passing by the Triumphal Tower at Night
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《夜下征虏亭》

中文原文( Chinese )

船下广陵去，月明征虏亭。

山花如绣颊，江火似流萤。

English Translation

My boat sails down to River Town,

The Tower's bright in the moonight.

The flowers blow like cheeks that glow,

And lanterns beam as fireflies gleam.

Present-day Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province.

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:34:39

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