Ascending the Tower of Yueyang with Xia the Twelfth
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《与夏十二登岳阳楼》

中文原文( Chinese )

楼观岳阳尽，川迥洞庭开。

雁引愁心去，山衔好月来。

云间连下榻，天上接行杯。

醉后凉风起，吹人舞袖回。

English Translation

On scenes so vast the Tower feasts our eye;

The river stretches into the Lake of South.

Taking away our sorrow,wild geese fly;

Green mountains throw the moon up from their mouth.

Make of white cloud a comfortable bed.

And pass around wine-cups in azure skies.

Drunken,let cooling breezes blow and spread

Our dancing sleeves which flap like butterflies.

Tower of Yueyang in Hunan Province.

- Last updated: 2023-12-21 14:51:26

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.

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