北 师 版 高二 (6) Unit 18

Lesson 3 Poetry

Li Bai Du Fu Bai Juyi Guess and match a) An Old Man Selling Charcoal b) Contemplating on A Tranquil Night c) Look from Yueyang Pavilion

d) Return to idyllic ( 田园的 ) life e) Fail to visit the hermit f) Enjoy evening view in a mountain Wang Wei Tao Yuanming Jia Dao

Can you still think out some other famous poets either in China or in foreign countries? List their most famous poems. You can either use Chinese or English. Who is your favorite? Ask yourself

Read the articles in the Culture Corner about Li Bai and William Wordsworth. Try to catch the basic information about the 2 famous poets.

1.What is poetry? Why do people create poetry? Poetry is natural expression of human emotions. It is written in lines, and rhymed( 压韵的 ).

2.How to appreciate poem? You can put yourself in the shoes of the poet and try to feel it.

Choose words from Exercise 2. 1.Paris is a very ________ city. 2.He always smiles, that is to say, he is _______ even though he is in trouble. 3.Australia is a _____ country. 4.He gave us a ( 生动的 ) ____ description of what happened in the office on that day. romantic cheerful scenic vivid

5.Maggie Zhang is such a _______ lady that she enjoys a high reputation. 6.The road looks so ______. elegant endless

Read the poems on your book and get the main idea. Tick out the words used to describe the beauty of the moon in the first poem. Tick out the words used to describe the appearance of Santa Clause.

Santa clause Father Christmas

Words used to describe the moon in the poem: bright, hoarfrost Words used to describe the appearance of Santa Clause: Oval eyes, merry face, rose cheeks, cheery nose, cute little mouth, beard and moustache as white as snow.

Read again and answer the questions When approximately do you think then poems were written? Poem A was written in the 700s and Poem B was written in the 1800s. What is the tone of the two poems? Poem A is sad and sentimental while poem B has a cheerful lively tone.

What is poem A about? It conveys the poet’s sadness at being far away from his home and family. What is poem B about? It is about the night before Christmas when Santa visits each house.

 in the hope that Santa soon would be there  Vague dreams of presents danced in their head Make a list of the sad and happy words or expressions that you can find in the poems. Happy:

 His oval eyes shined, and his face looked so merry, his cheeks were like roses, his rose like a cherry.  His cute little mouth turned up like a bow.  He filled all the stockings and then turned with a jerk.

 He jumped into his sleigh and gave a loud whistle, and away he flew like the seeds of a thistle.  Before he drove out of sight, “merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

Slight differences He gave a nod and up the chimney he rose. (fully invented sentence) He gave a nod and he rose up the chimney. The words are put in an inverted order by the rules of modern grammar.

And away he flew like the seeds of a thistle. And he flew away like the seeds of a thistle.

The relationship among all sentences depends on participle( 分词 ). So the language is very concise. Head bent, in homesickness, I am drowned.

With my head bent, I am lost in homesickness. Eyes raised, I see the moon so bright. With my eyes raised, I see the moon so bright.

The most important thing in appreciating poetry is getting the impression of the described scenery. Don’t make a fuss over language. Summary

A Tranquil Night 许渊冲 Abed, I see a silver light, I wonder if it’s frost aground. Looking up, I find the moon bright; Bowing, in homesickness I'm drowned.

On a Quiet Night I saw the moonlight before my couch, and wondered if it were not the frost on the ground. I raised my head and looked out on the mountain moon, I bowed my head and though of my far-off home. S. Obata

Yellow Crane Tower

A Farewell to Meng Haoran on His Way to Yangzhou You have left me behind, old friend, at the Yellow Crane Terrace, On your way to visit Yangzhou in the misty month of flowers;

Your sail, a single shadow, becomes one with the blue sky, Till now I see only the river, on its way to heaven.

A Note Left for An Absent Ecluse When I questioned your pupil, under a pine-tree, "My teacher," he answered, " went for herbs, but toward which corner of the mountain, How can I tell, through all these clouds ?"

Situation and description Everything was quiet. Nothing was moving, not even a mouse. The children were excited about getting presents. While vague dreams of presents danced in their heads.

It is night time and there is a full moon. I see the moon so bright. He was hard-working and didn’t want to waste any time. He didn’t speak a word and went straight to work.

I am really sad and miss my home Head bent, in homesickness I am drowned. He flew away quickly and was gone. And away he flew like the seeds of a thistle.