English Rendering
In front of western hills white egrets fly up and down,
In peach-mirrored stream mandarin fish are full grown.
In my blue bamboo hat
And green straw cloak,I'd fain
Go fishing careless of slanting wind and fine rain.
In front of western hills white egrets fly up and down,
In peach-mirrored stream mandarin fish are full grown.
In my blue bamboo hat
And green straw cloak,I'd fain
Go fishing careless of slanting wind and fine rain.

西塞山前白鹭飞,桃花流水鳜鱼肥。
青箬笠,绿蓑衣,斜风细雨不须归。
Zhang Zhihe (730-782)served in the court as a petty official and then retired to the riverside and lived in seclusion.This poem describing the happiness of a fisherman was wide spread and soon reached Japan.Even the Japanese Emperor (reigned 804-823)wrote five lyrics following the rhyme of his poem.
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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