Poetry of Li Bo (Li Bai) 李白

朝辭白帝彩雲間， 千里江陵一日還。
兩岸猿聲啼不住， 輕舟已過萬重山。

Translated by: Joe Chu

At dawn, leaving the walled city of Baidi (White Deity City) among the colorful clouds,

back^[1] to the walled city of Jiangling  of a thousand li (500 kilometers) away,  just in one day,

on both banks while the crying sound of the monkeys was still lingering,

the light boat has already passed through the ten thousand layers of mountains^[2].

Click to hear the poetry. 

Note: you can imagine the beautiful clouds around the ancient walled city of Baidi (literally, White Deity) showing the city is highly situated in the cloud, the rapid treacherous water of the Yang Zi (Yangtze) River going through the mountainous area of the gorges with the crying noises of the wild monkeys on both banks, how fast the light boat was zipping through the white water, and before the noises of the crying monkey subside, the destination is already there.

How to pronounce the name of the poet Li Bo 李白:

His Surname is Li 李 and his first name is Bo 白. In Chinese, surnames are written first. Today 白 is pronounced as bai, but I think his name should be pronounce as Bo, an old pronunciation.  B is pronounced as a soft p like in Spanish.

You can hear the pronunciation of Li Bai here; please turn down your speaker volume and click: lǐ bái 

Note: Baidi walled city 白帝城 was located on the north bank of the Yangtse River in Chongqing 重庆.  Jiangling wall city 江陵城  is located about 500 kilometers (290 miles)^[2] at the east of Baidi walled city and  to the west of the city of Wuhan 武汉.

[1] Li Bai use the word "back" because he went through Jiangling Walled City before he arrived at Baidi Walled City. He used the word back not because he had originally lived there. He was exiled by the emperor to the province of Guizhou, which is situated to the southeast of Sichuan province, where Baidi is located. When he was in Baidi he received the pardon from the emperor; so he took the same route going back. Li Bai had very high I.Q. but low E.Q. He was almost executed by the emperor.

[2] The translator does not know whether Jiangling is about 1,000 li (500 kilometers) from Baidi. It said so in the poetry.  But, 1,000 li can also means very far and not literally the absolute number of 1,000 li or 500 kilometers (290 miles).

Today 1 kilometer = 2 li (Chinese measurement)

[3] thousand is a descriptive term, meaning large number.

See map of China showing Sichuan province where Baidi is located and Guizhou province to where Li Bai was being exiled.

Seven-character-quatrain

Li Bai

Below was translated by ...........?

THROUGH THE YANGZI GORGES

From the walls of Baidi high in the coloured dawn
To Jiangling by night-fall is three hundred miles,
Yet monkeys are still calling on both banks behind me
To my boat these ten thousand mountains away.