♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,

WE'RE BACK WITH MERYL STREEP.

HAVE YOU READ THE PRESIDENT'S NEW BOOK?

>> I HAVE NOT.

NOT YET.

I WOULD LOVE TO.

>> Stephen: IT'S VERY GOOD, ACTUALLY.

THE GUY KNOWS HOW TO WRITE.

>> YEAH.

>> Stephen: AND I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO READ IT IN THE

LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS BECAUSE I INTERVIEWED HIM FOR THE SHOW,

AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF SOMETHING THAT

HAPPENS -- YOU'RE IN THIS.

YOU'RE ON PAGE 541.

I'M NOT IN THIS BOOK, AND I DID A LOT WITH THE PRESIDENT.

I'M NOT IN THE DANIEL BOOK, BUT YOU'RE IN THE BOOK.

>> WOW.

>> Stephen: ON PAGE 542 HE'S TALKING ABOUT SORT OF ARTISTS

AND ENTERTAINERS AND THE CULTURAL HUB THAT THEY WANTED

THE WHITE HOUSE TO BE AND ONE OF THE THING HE MENTIONED IS MERYL

STREEP LEANING OVER TO SOFTLY RECITE IN MANDARIN THE LYRICS TO

A SONG ABOUT CLOUDS THAT SHE HAD LEARNED FOR A PART YEARS AGO.

DO YOU REMEMBER THAT MOMENT?

>> I -- I DO REMEMBER THAT MOMENT, YES.

HE GOT THE STORY A LITTLE BIT WRONG.

HE'S A VERY GOOD WRITER BUT HIS MEMORY IS --

>> Stephen: LET'S FACT CHECK THE PRESIDENT HERE.

WHAT WAS THE REALITY?

IT WASN'T FOR A PART?

WASN'T MANDARIN?

>> YEAH, IT WAS A POEM -- I HAD JUST GOTTEN BACK, ACTUALLY, FROM

THIS TRIP TO BEIJING WITH A CULTURAL -- IT WAS A CULTURAL

KIND OF EXCHANGE THING AND I WENT WITH YO-YO MAN, A BUNCH OF

PERFORMERS AND WE WERE TO BE IN THE BIG NEST STADIUM WITH 7,000

PEOPLE, AND WE WERE GOING TO GO A CONCERT, AND YO-YO AND I WERE

GOING TO DO A VERY FAMOUS, LIKE, FOURTH CENTURY CHINESE POEM THAT

EVERYONE KNOWS, AND I WAS GOING TO DO IT FIRST IN ENGLISH AND

THEN IN CHINESE.

AND AT THE LAST MOMENT, WE HEARD THAT THE CULTURAL MINISTER WAS

COMING, WHO WAS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT PERSON, AND THEY THREW

US ALL AGAINST THE WALLS AND SPRITZED US, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE

THIS WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PERSON WITH HER 40-PERSON

ENTOURAGE AND SHE TOOK THE FIRST TIER AND SAT LIKE THIS, AND WE

WERE ALL TERRIFIED.

AND I HAD LEARNED THE POEM IN MANDARIN, AND I HAD LEARNED IT,

OBVIOUSLY, IN ENGLISH, AND YO-YO WOULD WEAVE IN HIS MUSIC IN

BETWEEN, WE HAD PRACTICED THIS.

BUT IN CHINESE, THE SAME WORD CAN BE TRANSLATED AS A

COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THING.

FAMOUSLY, THERE'S A STORY THAT -- AND I'M PROBABLY GOING

TO GET IT WRONG -- BUT MA MEANS MOMMA, MA.

BUT MA MEANS FO HORSE AND MA MEA HOOKER

( DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATIONS ) >> Stephen: YOU WANT TO GET

THE THREE RIGHT BEFORE YOU SADDLE UP.

>> BEFORE YOU SADDLE UP.

AND, SO, I THOUGHT, OH, MY GOD AM I GOING TO BE SAYING, YOU

KNOW, YOUR MOTHER EATS ROCKS POOLSIDE, YOU KNOW, OR

SOMETHING, INSTEAD OF WHAT THE POEM WAS, AND I SO WAS TERRIFIED

THAT I CHICKENED OUT, AND I SAID THE POEM IN ENGLISH, AND YO-YO

PLAYED THE MUSIC, AND THEN I MEANT TO START UP INTO MAN TRINE

AND I JUST -- MANDARIN AND I JUST LOOKED AT HIM AND SMILED,

AND HE WENT CROSS-EYED AND KIND OF FINISHED UP, AND THEN WE BOTH

BOWED.

IT WAS REALLY, BECAUSE OF HIS ART INDUSTRY, IT WAS A --

ARTSRY, IT WAS A WONDERFUL MOMENT.

PEOPLE LOVED IT.

BUT I STILL REMEMBER THE POEM.

>> Stephen: DO YOU STILL REMEMBER IT?

CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE TASTE.

>> NOW?

>> Stephen: IS IT POSSIBLE?

I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT I

DO.

>> YES.

OKAY.

IT'S ACTUALLY -- IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF A GREAT POEM FOR THE

QUARANTINE BECAUSE IT'S -- IT'S, ON THE MISTY MOUNTAIN, ALONE ON

A MISTY MOUNTAIN I COME TO A CLEARING.

SUNLIGHT ON GREEN MOSS.

I AM NOT ALONE.

SO THAT'S THE POEM.

AND IT'S -- ( REPEATING POEM IN MAN MANDARIN

AND IT'S -- ( REPEATING POEM IN MAN MANDARIN

THAT'S IT.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU.

EWE RARELY GET MANDARIN POETRY IN LATE NIGHT THESE DAYS.

>> YES, BUT, SINCE ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH

IS CHINESE, THEY WILL KNOW NOW THAT I HAVE JUST SAID SOMETHING

HORRIBLE, PROBABLY.

>> Stephen: BUT MY RATINGS ARE GOING TO BE HUGE IN BEIJING!

>> INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT (LAUGHING).

>> Stephen: MERYL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

>> Stephen: "LET THEM ALL TALK" PREMIERES THURSDAY ON HBO

MAX AND "THE PROM" IS IN SELECT

THEATERS AND AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON NETFLIX THIS FRIDAY.

MERYL STREEP, EVERYBODY!

WHEN WE COME BACK, I'LL "SPILL DANGER WITH A PERFORMANCE BY

CHRIS STAPLETON.