From ten thousand valleys the trees touch heaven;
On a thousand peaks cuckoos are calling;
And, after a night of mountain rain,
From each summit come hundreds of silken cascades.
...If girls are asked in tribute the fibre they weave,
Or farmers quarrel over taro fields,
Preside as wisely as Wenweng did....
Is fame to be only for the ancients?
万壑树参天，千山响杜鹃。
山中一夜雨，树杪百重泉。
汉女输橦布，巴人讼芋田。
文翁翻教授，不敢倚先贤。
Five-character-regular-verse
This poem was composed by Wang Wei to bid farewell to his friend Prefect Li, who was departing for Mianzhou in Shu (present-day Mianyang, Sichuan). Though Wang Wei served in court throughout his life, his heart remained in the mountains and forests, often expressing through poetry his affection for friends and yearning for nature. This farewell poem breaks convention by avoiding sentimental parting emotions, instead envisioning the landscapes, local customs, and exemplary figures of his friend's destination—grand in conception and lofty in artistic conception.
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.
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