Morning Meal at Qi's Inn, Songyuan
- Poetry of Yang Wanli

《过松源晨炊漆公店》

English Rendering

Say not downhill ends hardship's domain,

It tricks travelers with joy's false gain.

Once caught in peaks that circle like a chain,

One slope frees you—the next blocks the plain.

Morning Meal at Qi's Inn, Songyuan by Yang Wanli
Morning Meal at Qi's Inn, Songyuan by Yang Wanli

Original Text (中文原文)

莫言下岭便无难,赚得行人错喜欢。

政入万山围子里,一山放出一山拦。

Analysis & Context

Composed during the Chunxi era of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the late 12th century, amidst fluctuations in his official career and inner turmoil, Yang Wanli often traveled through Jiangxi and Hunan provinces. During his journeys, he frequently incorporated observations and reflections from hiking, crossing rivers, and lodging into his poetry. This work, "Passing Songyuan, Morning Meal at Qi's Inn," was written during his travels through Songyuan (present-day Anren, Jiangxi), capturing impressions from a chance encounter with a mountain inn. Through depicting the arduous and winding mountain paths, the poet conveys profound insights on the human condition: worldly affairs are like climbing mountains—whether ascending or descending, difficulties and obstacles never truly disappear.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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