A cosmos in concentric ripples sleeps,
Each lotus flame at fingertip-distance keeps.
Cliff-steals-sky's ancient tattoo whole,
Jade-mirror wears moss as memory's scroll.
Three autumns' stone-water romance fed,
Never betrayed my river-wanderer's thread.
Now my reflection mourns time's theft—
Snowmelt hair floods the jade hairpin left.
环环清泚旱犹深，炳炳芙蓉近可寻。
苍壁巧藏天影入，翠奁微带藓良侵。
能供水石三秋兴，不负江湖万里心。
照影独怜身老去，日添华发已盈簪。
Composed in Zeng Gong's later years, likely during his service as a local official or retirement, this poem contemplates a scholar's courtyard pond (盆池) - a microcosm of nature that inspires profound reflections on time's passage and aging. Through this intimate landscape, Zeng reveals his serene state of mind and transcendent outlook on life's autumn years.
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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