At Heron Lodge ( Climbing Stork Tower )
- Poetry of Wang Zhihuan
《登鹳雀楼》
English Translation
Mountains cover the white sun,
And oceans drain the golden river;
But you widen your view three hundred miles
By going up one flight of stairs.
Five-character-quatrain
Composed during the golden age of Tang Dynasty, this is one of Wang Zhihuan's most celebrated works. The poet ascended the Stork Tower (located in present-day Yongji, Shanxi) and, beholding the magnificent sunset over the Yellow River, penned this verse. It captures not only nature's vast splendor but also the poet's surging passion and progressive aspirations. Renowned for its concise language and profound vision, this poem has been hailed through the ages as an unparalleled masterpiece among seven-character quatrains.
中文原文( Chinese )
Simplified Chinese
白日依山尽，黄河入海流。
欲穷千里目，更上一层楼。
Traditional Chinese
白日依山盡， 黃河入海流。
欲窮千里目， 更上一層樓。
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- 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.