Ascending the Snow-White Peak
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《登太白峰》

- Last updated: 2024-03-20 14:46:19

中文原文

西上太白峰，夕阳穷登攀。

太白与我语，为我开天关。

愿乘泠风去，直出浮云间。

举手可近月，前行若无山。

一别武功去，何时复见还。

English Translation

Ascending from the west the PeakS now-White,

Not till the sun goes down I reach its height.

The snow-white MorningStar teIls me to wait

Until he opens the Celestial Gate.

I wish to ride cold wind and floating cloud

To touch the moon and dwarf all mountains proud.

But once I left behind the Western land,

Could I return to the summit where I stand?

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