日照香炉生紫烟
Sunlight turns Incense Burner Peak’s mist purple;
遥看瀑布挂前川
Far off, a waterfall hangs before the river.
飞流直下三千尺
Its flying stream plunges three thousand feet:
疑是银河落九天
As if the Milky Way fell from the highest heaven.
What the poem means
Sunlight turns mist above Incense Burner Peak purple. The waterfall hangs like a river, plunging as if the Milky Way fell from heaven. Huge numbers express wonder rather than exact measurements.
Meet the poet
Li Bai was a Tang poet known for vivid imagination and poems about nature, friendship and longing.
Li Bai · More poems →