The mountains are cold and blue now
And the autumn waters have run all day.
By my thatch door, leaning on my staff,
I listen to cicadas in the evening wind.
Sunset lingers at the ferry,
Supper-smoke floats up from the houses.
...Oh, when shall I pledge the great Hermit again
And sing a wild poem at Five Willows?
寒山转苍翠，秋水日潺湲。倚杖柴门外，临风听暮蝉。
渡头余落日，墟里上孤烟。复值接舆醉，狂歌五柳前。
Five-character-regular-verse
This poem is part of an exchange between Wang Wei and his close friend Pei Di, composed during their retreat in Wangchuan. It depicts their serene pastoral life in the mountains while expressing their shared transcendental ideals. Blending autumn landscapes with reclusive spirituality, the verses create a perfect fusion of scene and sentiment—a portrait of Wangchuan where nature and self dissolve into harmony.
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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