At a little grass-hut in the valley of the river,
Where a cloud seems born from a viney wall,
You will love the bamboos new with rain,
And mountains tender in the sunset.
Cranes drift early here to rest
And autumn flowers are slow to fade....
I have bidden my pupil to sweep the grassy path
For the coming of my friend.
Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu
泉壑带茅茨，云霞生薜帷。
竹怜新雨后，山爱夕阳时。
闲鹭栖常早，秋花落更迟。
家童扫萝径，昨与故人期。
Five-character-regular-verse
The poem masterfully interweaves scenic depiction with emotional undercurrents. The first three couplets progressively frame the retreat's environment—from macro watercourses to micro floral persistence—constructing an aestheticized reclusive space. The finale's social anticipation gathers these natural details into human significance, where landscape becomes hospitality's canvas. The work's restrained elegance and structural precision exemplify High Tang's subtle lyricism.
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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