A Lute Song
- Poetry of Li Qi

《琴歌》

- Last updated: 2024-04-21 10:43:28

中文原文

主人有酒欢今夕，请奏鸣琴广陵客。

月照城头乌半飞，霜凄万木风入衣。

铜炉华烛烛增辉，初弹渌水后楚妃。

一声已动物皆静，四座无言星欲稀。

清淮奉使千余里，敢告云山从此始。

English Translation

Our host, providing abundant wine to make the night mellow,

Asks his guest from Yangzhou to play for us on the lute.

Toward the moon that whitens the city-wall, black crows are flying,

Frost is on ten thousand trees, and the wind blows through our clothes;

But a copper stove has added its light to that of flowery candles,

And the lute plays The Green Water, and then The Queen of Chu.

Once it has begun to play, there is no other sound:

A spell is on the banquet, while the stars grow thin....

But three hundred miles from here, in Huai, official duties await him,

And so it's farewell, and the road again, under cloudy mountains.

Seven-character-ancient-verse

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