Ascending the Flying Peak
- Poetry of Wang Anshi
On this peak that flew stands a tower so tall,
They say roosters here hatch dawn for all.
Floating clouds can't blind my eyes—
Truth's view owns the ultimate skies.
Composed during the Jiayou era of Emperor Renzong's reign in the Northern Song Dynasty, this poem was written by Wang Anshi when his reformist ideals were maturing, though his New Policies had not yet been formally implemented. Written during his ascent of Hangzhou's Feilai Peak, the poem uses the vista from a lofty pagoda to express his ambitious political vision and fearless determination to overcome obstacles. The "floating clouds" serve as metaphors for petty men and worldly prejudices, while the elevated perspective symbolizes the poet's transcendent clarity of vision. The work combines profound meaning with majestic momentum.
飞来山上千寻塔，闻说鸡鸣见日升。
不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层。
- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.
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