From China with Love: The Other 19 Most Read Vintage Poems That Mr. Musk Hasn't Posted Yet

By Skyhorse

In November of 2021, Elon Musk posted an old Chinese poem on Twitter, which quickly went viral and garnered attention from mainstream media. In From China with Love, translator Ji Chen offers readers and Elon Musk alike twenty ancient Chinese poems (including the one tweeted by Musk and nineteen he hasn’t posted yet), in both the original Chinese and English. All of the fourteen ancient Chinese poets in this book—which includes biographies of each of them—lived many centuries ago and combine to paint a vivid picture of the geography and culture of the era. The book also features translations for 101 of the most used Chinese characters many of which are used throughout the poetry. This pocket-sized gift informs and enlightens twenty-first century readers in a way that no other book of ancient Chinese poetry has done before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781510772311

Book preview

Poetry

1

cáo zhí

曹植

qī bù shī

七步诗*

zhǔ dòu rán dòu qí

煮豆燃豆萁

dòu zài fǔ zhōng qì

豆在釜中泣

běn shì tóng gēn shēng

本是同根生

xiāng jiān hé tài jí

相煎何太急

A Poem Composed in Seven Steps

By Cao Zhi

Beans are cooking on a beanstalk fire.

Beans in the pot are a weeping choir:

"Why are you, born of the root we share,

Bent on scalding us with heat so dire?"

*Tweeted by Elon Musk in November 2021

2

lǐ bái

李白

jìng yè sī

静夜思

chuáng qián míng yuè guāng

床前明月光，

yí shì dì shàng shuāng

疑是地上霜。

jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè

举头望明月，

dī tóu sī gù xiāng

低头思故乡。

Homesick on a Quiet Night

By Li Bai

Before my bed the moonlight shines so bright,

I thought the floor was paved with hoarfrost white.

I raise my head and watch the moon up high;

I bow my head and ache for home tonight.

3

lǐ bái

李白

huáng hè lóu sòng mèng hào rán zhī guǎng líng

黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵

gù rén xī cí huáng hè lóu

故人西辞黄鹤楼，

yān huā sān yuè xià yáng zhōu

烟花三月下扬州。

gū fān yuǎn yǐng bì kōng jìn

孤帆远影碧空尽，

wéi jiàn cháng jiāng tiān jì liú

唯见长江天际流。

Farewell at Yellow Crane Tower (on the