Question and Answer in the Mountain (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Li Bo
- First Published: 753
- Type of Work: Lyric
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: Freedom, Intellectuals, Politics, Nature, Rural or country life, Rivers or waterways, Mountain life, China or Chinese people, Mountains, Royal courts or courtiers, Leisure
The Poem
There are two other alternative titles for this poem in some existing editions, but neither is as apt. The first, “Answer to a Question,” is too general, whereas the second, “Answer from the Mountain, to a Worldly Person,” is too explicit.
The poem begins with an innocent question, which can be translated differently depending on which of the two variant texts is used. According to one text, the line can be rendered as: “You ask me what I am doing dwelling in the Emerald Mountain.” In the second text, the line would be: “You ask me why I intend to...
[The entire page is 1425 words long]
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