What do you think is human life like here or there?
It seems like a swan's traces on mud or on snow.
See the claw and nail prints by chance mud and snow bear.
Will the flying swan care what it has left below?
The old monk, dead, has left but a dagoba new; The verse we wrote was gone with the wall in decay.
What I remember of the journey made with you Is a weary long way and the lame donkey's bray.
人生到处知何似？应似飞鸿踏雪泥。
泥上偶然留指爪，鸿飞那复计东西！
老僧已死成新塔，坏壁无由见旧题。
往日崎岖还记否？路长人困蹇驴嘶。
The poet and his brother had stayed in the temple at Mianchi during a previous journey and written poems on a wall.
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.
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