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李白
七言绝句
Character explanations
Click on a character of the poem to display its explanation here.
日
«sun». 日照 «the sun illuminates».
照
«to illuminate». 日照 «the rays illuminate».
香
«fragrant; incense». 香炉 «the Incense Burner Peak».
炉
«brazier, censer». 香炉 designates a peak of Mount Lu shaped like a censer.
生
«to arise, produce». 生紫烟 «gives rise to a purple vapor».
紫
«purple, violet». 紫烟 «the purple mist».
烟
«smoke, mist». 紫烟 «the colored vapor» around the peak.
遥
«distant, from afar». 遥看 «to look from afar».
看
«to look». 遥看 «to contemplate from a distance».
瀑
«waterfall, cataract». 瀑布 «the waterfall».
布
«cloth; sheet». 瀑布 «the waterfall» (lit. «suspended sheet»).
挂
«to hang, to suspend». 挂前川 «hangs before the torrent».
前
«in front». 前川 «the waterway ahead».
川
«river, torrent». 前川 «the torrent ahead».
飞
«to fly, to surge». 飞流 «the leaping current».
流
«to flow, current». 飞流 «the surging torrent».
直
«straight, directly». 直下 «straight down».
下
«to descend, downward». 直下 «vertical fall».
三
«three». 三千尺 «three thousand feet» (hyperbole).
千
«thousand». 三千尺 «three thousand feet».
尺
«foot (measure, ~33 cm)». 三千尺 «a dizzying height».
疑
«to believe (wrongly), to suspect». 疑是 «one would think it is…».
是
«to be, it is». 疑是 «one would believe it is».
银
«silver». 银河 «the Milky Way» (the «silver river»).
河
«river». 银河 «the Silver River», the Milky Way.
落
«to fall, to drop». 落九天 «fallen from the heavens».
九
«nine». 九天 «the nine heavens», the highest of the sky.
天
«sky». 九天 «the highest firmament».
Literal translation
The sun illuminates the Incense Burner Peak: a purple vapor rises from it;
Afar, the waterfall hangs like a sheet before the torrent.
The current flies straight down, three thousand feet;
One would think the Milky Way has fallen from the nine heavens.
Historical and Biographical Context
This poem, 望庐山瀑布 (), «Gazing at the Waterfall of Mount Lu», transforms a waterfall into a cosmic vision, typical of Li Bai's lyrical impulse.
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
Quatrain of seven characters. The first two lines set the scene (the peak, the mist, the waterfall seen from afar); the last two amplify the image to the point of excess.
Imagery and Symbolism
The purple vapor, the «suspended» waterfall, then the comparison with the Milky Way take us from real landscape to a supernatural and grandiose vision.
Movement and Gesture
The verse 飞流直下三千尺 condenses the vertical and dizzying fall of the water into a single image of force and speed.
Language and Tone
Vibrant and hyperbolic language; the tone is one of wonder, carried by the poet's overflowing imagination.
Main Themes
The Grandeur of Nature
The waterfall becomes a cosmic phenomenon, on the scale of the universe.
Imagination and Hyperbole
Li Bai does not merely describe: he transfigures reality through poetic exaggeration.
Wonder
The poem communicates a joy in the face of the power and beauty of the world.
