The cool breeze blows on silent night in Town of Stone,
To view the south I mount the high tower alone.
White clouds and city walls mirrored on ripples swoon;
Dewdrops look like pearls dripping from the autumn moon.
Crooning long, I won't go back, drowned in moonrays;
How few are connoisseurs in my eyes since olden days!
Seeing the river crystal-clear and silver-white，
How I miss the unforgettable poet bright!
金陵夜寂凉风发，独上高楼望吴越。
白云映水摇空城，白露垂珠滴秋月。
月下沉吟久不归，古来相接眼中稀。
解道澄江净如练，令人长忆谢玄晖。
The poet gives free rein to his imagination in describing the scenery of Jinling or the Town of Stone: clouds could swoon, pearls could drip from the moon, and the poet could be drowned in moonlight. The unforgettable poet refers to Xie Tiao （464-499）.
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.
Journey through the dynasties. Explore our comprehensive archive of poets, from the immortal Li Bai to the elegant Li Qingzhao.
View All Poets →CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts.