The Stone-nose Town
- Poetry of Su Shi

《石鼻城》

English Rendering

Where are the belligerent states of bygone days?

Wayfarers are trudging on their way without cheer.

New-come Northerners on the peril fix their gaze; The mountaineers part with their last steep mountain here.

Alone,I make my way dimly lit by moonlight; Saddened,I cross the river shrouded in the haze.

The Southwest land affords a quite different sight: The ripples whisper with roadside bamboo they graze.

The Stone-nose Town by Su Shi
The Stone-nose Town by Su Shi

Original Text (中文原文)

平时战国今无在,陌上征夫自不闲。

北客初来试新险,蜀人从此送残山。

独穿暗月朦胧里,愁渡奔河苍茫间。

渐入西南风景变:道旁修竹水潺潺。

Analysis & Context

In the first year of the Zhiping reign of the Song Dynasty (1064), Su Shi composed this poem during a visit to Shibi with Zhang Dun and other companions.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

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.

Reading Between the Lines

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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