Tang poems 唐诗 >> 江南逢李龟年
Jiāngnán féng Lǐ Guīnián
江南逢李龟年
杜甫 (Du Fu) 唐朝 Tang Dynasty (618-907)
Qí Wáng zhái lǐ xúncháng jiàn, Cuī Jiǔ táng qián jǐdù wén.
岐王宅里寻常见，崔九堂前几度闻。
zhèng shì jiāngnán hǎo fēngjǐng, luòhuā shíjié yòu féng jūn.
正是江南好风景，落花时节又逢君。
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杜甫：Du Fu (712 – 770), Du Fu was a Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. Along with Li Bai, he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.
- 江南逢李龟年：Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan. This poem was written in the same year of the poet's death(AD 770).
- 李龟年：Li Guinian was a famous court musician. During the An-Shi Rebellion(安史之乱 755-763), Li Guinian wandered far from the capital Chang'an(长安) and turned into a street performer in Jiangnan.
- 岐王：Prince Qi(Li Fan 686－726), Emperor's brother, a famous cultural celebrity of that time
- 崔九：崔涤(Cuī Dí ？-726), Prime Minister's brother
- 江南：Jiangnan, south of the Yangtze river
- 寻常：ordinary; usual; common
- 几度：several times
- 闻：hear
- 风景：scenery; landscape
- 落花时节：season of falling flowers
- 逢：meet
- 君：you, used to call people with respect
At the house of Prince Qi, commonly I saw you;
In front of the hall of Cui Jiu, several times I heard you.
Now it is the most beautiful season of Jiangnan;
Among falling flowers, once again I meet you.
* At the time of this poem, both Prince Qi and Cui Jiu had passed away for many years, and the musician Li Guinian had came down from a court musician to a street performer. The entire country had experienced the An-Shi Rebellion(755-763). As a result, the Tang Dynasty went from prosperity to decline.
Du Fu died in the winter of that year.