A View of Taishan
- Poetry of Du Fu

《望岳》

- Last updated: 2024-03-25 15:26:22

A View of Taishan by Du Fu
中文原文

岱宗夫如何？齐鲁青未了。

造化钟神秀，阴阳割昏晓。

荡胸生曾云，决眦入归鸟。

会当凌绝顶，一览众山小。

English Translation

What shall I say of the Great Peak? --

The ancient dukedoms are everywhere green,

Inspired and stirred by the breath of creation,

With the Twin Forces balancing day and night.

...I bare my breast toward opening clouds,

I strain my sight after birds flying home.

When shall I reach the top and hold All mountains in a single glance?

Five-character-ancient-verse

The whole poem is unified by the word “look” in the title of the poem, and every line is about looking at the mountain, but there is not a single word “look” in the whole poem, and it gives people a sense of being in the place, which shows that the poet’s layout and artistic conception are exquisite and fantastic.

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Why Chinese poems is so special?
The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
How to read a Chinese poem?
Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

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