This poem was written at farewell, when Meng decided to follow a secluded life in the South Mountain. Translation Li Bai (701-762) 李白 A Present for Meng Haoran 贈孟浩然 I adore Master Meng 吾愛 孟夫子 The wind carries word of his talents under all the …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Farewell Dinner for Uncle Yun” (300 Tang Poems #56)
It’s a farewell poem, but Li expressed his disappointment and agony. He’s a man with talent, but not appreciated or respected by the official circle. Xietiao, the governor, who the building is named after, was also called Little Xie because he was good at writing …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Jinling Pub: A Poem on Parting” (300 Tang Poems #55)
Jinling is the old name for Nanjing and was a part of the Wu Kingdom at one point. Feelings are invisible and friendship is abstract. Chinese poetry tries to translate abstract ideas into concrete items as much as possible. Thus, Li uses a metaphor here …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Changgan Travel” (300 Tang Poems #43)
Translation Li Bai (701-762) 李白 Changgan Travel 長干行 My hair was short, beginning to cover my forehead 妾髮 初覆額 Picking flowers by the gate in front, playing games… 折花 門前劇 You rode in on a bamboo pole, playing horse 郎騎 竹馬來 Circling around the couch, …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Winter” (300 Tang Poems #42)
Translation Li Bai (701-762) 李白 Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Winter 子夜四時歌冬歌 Tomorrow morning the courier goes out 明朝 驛使發 And there’s one night left to make your cotton battle robe 一夜 絮征袍 My white hand draws out the cold and lonely needle 素手 …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Autumn” (300 Tang Poems #41)
Translation By Li Bai (701-762) 李白 Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Autumn 子夜四時歌秋歌 Over Chang’an, a slice of moon 長安 一片月 In thousands of households the sound of pounding clothes 萬戶 擣衣聲 The autumn wind blows, unceasing 秋風 吹不盡 Always worried about the Gate …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Summer” (300 Tang Poems #40)
Xishi (~ 450 BC) is one of the most famous historical beauties in Chinese history (see poem #17). Legend has it that the King of Yue searched for a beauty to send to his enemy, the King of Wu, as a concubine to distract him …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Spring” (300 Tang Poems #39)
Translation By Li Bai (701-762) 李白 Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Spring 子夜四時歌春歌 Here in the Land of Qin, Luofu, a beautiful girl 秦地 羅敷女 She plucks a mulberry by the water’s edge 采桑 綠水邊 Her hands of white resting on the branches 素手 …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “The Moon Above the Mountain Fortress” (300 Tang Poems #38)
Translation By Li Bai (701-762) 李白 Moon Above the Mountain Fortress 關山月 A bright, clear moon rises over Mount Tian 明月 出天山 Vast, boundless the space between cloud and sea 蒼茫 雲海 間 Constant winds go on for thousands of miles 長風 幾萬里 Blowing past …
Read MoreLi Bai’s “59 Poems of Antiquity, #1”
This poem is a reflection Li Bai wrote sometime after he was unsuccessful in government. He complains that the “royal winds” appoint only “twine and thorn” rather than more beautiful plants (such as himself). This is further reflected later in the poem when he writes …
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