I had always heard of Lake Dongting --
And now at last I have climbed to this tower.
With Wu country to the east of me and Chu to the south,
I can see heaven and earth endlessly floating.
...But no word has reached me from kin or friends.
I am old and sick and alone with my boat.
North of this wall there are wars and mountains --
And here by the rail how can I help crying?
昔闻洞庭水，今上岳阳楼。吴楚东南坼，乾坤日夜浮。
亲朋无一字，老病有孤舟。戎马关山北，凭轩涕泗流。
Five-character-regular-verse
The poem dates from 768. Yueyang (Yuezhou) is a town on the shores of Dongting lake.
The poem depicts the majestic and magnificent image of the vast and boundless waters of Dongting Lake in condensed language, outlining a meteorological picture.
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.
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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