English Rendering
The moon starts to glow after the rain on the East Slope.
No more hustles and bustles, just an idler walking alone.
I’m taking the rocky road you can’t have on the street;
And I love the clicking tone of my stick on the stones.
A Walk at Dongpo, the East Slope
- Poetry of Su Shi
《东坡》
Original Text (中文原文)
雨洗东坡月色清，
市人行尽野人行。
莫嫌荦确坡头路。
自爱铿然曳杖声。
Analysis & Context
Dongpo, the Chinese pinyin for ‘东坡’ (meaning east slope), was a barren land on a hillside near the Red Clift outside the old East Gate of Huangzhou Town. The farm life as a criminal politician opened a unique chapter for Su Shi where he managed to cultivate his character for a more sophisticated insight about the world. In a Chinese idiom, we may say, “Out of the sloppy muddy mess grows a proud and pure lotus flower (出污泥而不染)”. His ability of tolerance came from his broad-minded character and optimistic attitude about life. His wife Wang Fo commented that he saw no enemy in his life journey. The five-year’s rocky journey (1079-1084) could have ruined many public celebrities, but proved to be a great turning point marked with huge success in Su Shi’s artistic creation.
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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