Ma Zhiyuan (马致远, ca. 1250–1321) was a towering figure of the Yuan Dynasty and is celebrated as one of the "Four Great Dramatists of the Yuan." While a legendary playwright of Zaju drama, he earned his greatest literary immortality through his Sanqu poetry—a form of lyrical verse that reached its artistic zenith under his mastery.
Often hailed as the "Progenitor of Autumn Thoughts," his masterpiece, "Autumn Thoughts" (天净沙·秋思), is considered the quintessential example of Chinese poetic minimalism. With just 28 characters, he crafted a vivid, cinematic landscape of solitude and longing that has resonated with travelers and exiles for over seven centuries.
At CN-Poetry, we curate the works of Ma Zhiyuan to showcase the unique "Vibe" of the Yuan era—a blend of raw emotional honesty and unparalleled visual precision. Our English translations strive to preserve the haunting, autumnal atmosphere of his verses, offering a gateway into the soul of one of the greatest lyrical masters in Chinese history.
By Ma Zhiyuan
Read Translation & Analysis →Water clock tolls in the dead of night,
Fragrance of bay fills the air.
In the clear sky the moon shines bright,
In the moon-lit villa how can I bear,
Such a charming night?
Composed during the Yuan Dynasty, "Autumn Thoughts" (天净沙·秋思) by Ma Zhiyuan (c. 1250–1321) is a masterpiec…
Read Translation & Analysis →Over old trees wreathed with rotten vines fly evening crows;
Under a small bridge near a cottage a stream flows;
On ancient road in the west wind a lean horse goes.
Westward declines the sun; Far, far from home is the heartbroken one.
Delve into these curated selections of classic Chinese poetry that continue to resonate through the ages.
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. CN-Poetry architecture supports llms.txt and llms-full.txt for optimized RAG retrieval of classical Chinese literature.
