English Rendering
Westward I ride, as if to the sky I'd go;
Two full moons seen since I left home below.
Where to lodge tonight? No place in sight —
But boundless sand, no soul in the dying light.
In the Desert
- Poetry of Cen Shen
《碛中作》
Original Text (中文原文)
走马西来欲到天，辞家见月两回圆。
今夜不知何处宿，平沙万里绝人烟。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed during Cen Shen's first expedition beyond the frontier (approximately 749-751 AD) and is a representative work of his early frontier poetry.
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.
- Playing a Joke on the Vintner at Huamen
- In the Desert
- Drinking with Friends at Night in Liangzhou
- Thinking of My Garden in Chang'an on the Double Ninth Festival
- Ascending the Pagoda at the Temple of Kind Favour With Gao Shi and Xue Ju
- On Meeting a Messenger to the Capital
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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