Mid-Autumn Night
- Poetry of Li Qiao

《中秋月二首·其二》

- Last updated: 2024-03-16 15:31:00

中文原文

圆魄上寒空，皆言四海同。

安知千里外，不有雨兼风？

English Translation

The round soul's climbing into the cold void,

They say it is the same in all four seas.

How can one know a thousand miles away,

If they do not have rain and wind?

Mid-Autumn Night

· Pre： Wind

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