Looking into Mirror One Day Before Beginning of Autumn
- Poetry of Li Yi

《立秋前一日览镜》

- Last updated: 2024-06-28 12:22:45

中文原文

万事销身外，生涯在镜中。

惟将满鬓雪，明日对秋风。

English Translation

I cast off the whole of my worldly care;

In the mirror my life I come to know.

With only the snow-white temple hair

I will face the autumn wind tomorrow.

By Li Yi

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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