| Bed before bright moon shine Think be ground on frost Raise head view bright moon Lower head think home | Before my bed, the moon is shining bright, I think that it is frost upon the ground. I raise my head and look at the bright moon, I lower my head and think of home(town). |
This poem is short, but has many meanings all depending on the reader. It's the type of art that is different upon perspective, like a painting that asks you what you see. In Chinese Classical Poetry, it really emphasizes the use of precise, and concise, wording. The poet Li Bai always traveled and wrote poems to show the Chinese people what all these different parts of China is like. He always compares his environment to a time he is reminiscing about. He sees the moon and thinks of the time he looked up and saw the moon in his hometown. His diction is very concise, and really hits home.
This is why I like this poem. I always think about all the times I had at a younger age, and my hometown. Li Bai also lets the reader know how he feels while allowing reader to contemplate their own thoughts by explaining that he is homesick while away in this poem. His wording is usually very direct and his tone is very hard to put my finger on, but it leaves the reader thinking about themselves.
PS. Special bonus for you guys:
My dad told me the believed meaning of the poem:
Li Bai was travelings all the time, and this time he was away from his home once again. He lies down to sleep but he can't seem to get comfortable. He opens his eyes to realize that the moonlight is very bright and the brightness makes it impossible for him to sleep. He wanders out and looks out his room window into the courtyard and realizes that the moonlight is like the snow on the ground of his hometown. He looks up at the moon, and thinks about his home and how it would feel to look at the moon from there.
