From our boat the mountains run like horses,
Galloping past, by hundreds, on both shores.
Ahead, they change forms in all directions;
Behind, they herd wildly towards heavens.
The paths and trails mark a maze of webbing,
Where the travellers in the mist are drifting.
I try to wave, to make myself understood,
But I’m off southward like a bird on high wind.
船上看山如走马，倏忽过去数百群：
前山槎牙忽变态，后岭杂沓如惊奔。
仰看微径斜缭绕，上有行人高飘渺。
舟中举手欲与言，孤帆南去如飞鸟。
It was a time of success. It was a time of loss. In 1057, Su Shi actually came out first in the Imperial Examination at a young age of 21, an immediate success well-known throughout the country. His younger brother Su Zhe (aged 19) was on the top list as well. Emperor Renzong had an exceptional favour for the two brothers, ready to offer them good posts in the Royal Court. As if things went too well for them, they received the sad news of their mother’s death in April. The recognized morale etiquettes and rules since the Han Dynasty require every gentleman to stay close to the parent’s tomb, finishing a mourning period of 27 months, during which no wedding, no official commitment, and no entertainment allowed. This tradition was very strict in the Song, later fading away in the Ming and Qing. So we have very little record of the Su family for this period, at Meizhou in Sichuan mountains, till July 1059 when the two brothers all moved to the Capital with their father.
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.