The limpid river, past its bushes
Running slowly as my chariot,
Becomes a fellow voyager
Returning home with the evening birds.
A ruined city-wall overtops an old ferry,
Autumn sunset floods the peaks.
...Far away, beside Mount Song,
I shall close my door and be at peace.
清川带长薄，车马去闲闲。
流水如有意，暮禽相与还。
荒城临古渡，落日满秋山。
迢递嵩高下，归来且闭关。
清川帶長薄， 車馬去閑閑。
流水如有意， 暮禽相與還。
荒城臨古渡， 落日滿秋山。
迢遞嵩高下， 歸來且閉關。
Five-character-regular-verse
Composed in autumn 734 AD during Emperor Xuanzong's Kaiyuan era, this poem was written by Wang Wei while journeying to reclusive Mount Song after completing mourning for his mother. Having experienced officialdom's vicissitudes, he gradually grew weary of political life, finding solace in Buddhist philosophy and nature. As one of China's Five Sacred Mountains, Mount Song symbolized his pursuit of tranquility beyond worldly concerns. The landscapes described reflect both physical scenery and the poet's nuanced psychological transition—from relief to fleeting melancholy, then to serene clarity—embodying his increasingly detached worldview.
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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