Qiupu Song (15)
By Libai (Tang Dynasty)
My white hair is as long as thirty thousand feet,
it is because of my deep sorrows that it grows so long.
If I were not in this bright mirror to look,
I thought the autumn frost fell on my head.
秋浦歌（十五）
李白（唐）
白发三千丈，缘愁似个长。
不知明镜里，何处得秋霜！
Creative background
Qiupu, a county under the jurisdiction of Chizhou County in the Tang Dynasty, was named after the Qiupu River in its territory and was one of the producing areas of silver and copper in the Tang Dynasty. Li Bai traveled to Qiupu three times in his life, leaving behind more than 70 masterpieces. These seventeen poems were written during the second visit to Qiupu in the 13th year of the Tianbao era (754) (also known as the 12th year of the Tianbao era or the 14th year of the Tianbao era). At that time, Li Bai had been expelled from Chang'an for ten years due to being slandered. During these ten years, Li Bai traveled around the world. He traveled north to Yan and Zhao, and south to Jiang and Huai; Among them, there were many happy and joyful moments, especially when he once traveled together with Du Fu in the Liang and Song places, drinking wine and discussing poetry, which was very enjoyable. However, his mood was not very good when he was in Qiupu. In the twelfth year of Tianbao's reign (753 AD), he once traveled north to Youji and saw firsthand that the power of Anlu Mountain was strong, and that the king had already nurtured carbuncle. At this moment, he was traveling south of the Yangtze River with extreme sadness and indignation.
Introduction of related words
- Qiupu: a county under the jurisdiction of Chizhou County in the Tang Dynasty, was named after the Qiupu River in its territory and was one of the producing areas of silver and copper in the Tang Dynasty.
I have something to say
I read this poem in the first time was in my Middle school, I couldn’t understand it but the only happy thing is that the poem is short and easy to recite.
Now, I read it again and read his creative background, I suddenly understand Li Bai. “A good scholar will make an official”, he is the one but he has no abilities to change the world and stop the development of the thing. We all have this kind of emotion because we have thoughts. In fact, maybe the world won’t be changed by our thoughts but we should be happy because we can think and our head is not a wood, because we are alive really.