The Tide
- Poetry of Zhu Qingyu

《观涛》
#Landscape

English Rendering

The leaves are fallen, and the frost doth fly,

And all the air is clarion‑clear and cold;

And lo, where the wide river empties lie,

A hundred leagues the advancing tides unfold.


A wind, salt‑sharp, from the unsounded deep

Brings the dank odour of the whale‑path nigh;

And like a burst of snow on crags that keep,

With roar of thunder‑drums the surges cry.


The half‑veiled sun, the cloud‑wrack dim and dun,

Behold the flood that fills the channel’s span;

The merchant‑sails are past, the race is run,

But still the heaving plain of wrath rolls on.


I from the tower at dawn‑time gaze, and find

Thoughts that out‑soar the scene, unbounded, vast;

And round the city, in the autumn wind,

The maple flames, the asters hold them fast.

The Tide by Zhu Qingyu #Landscape
The Tide by Zhu Qingyu #Landscape

Original Text (中文原文)

木落霜飞天地清,空江百里见潮生。

鲜飙出海鱼龙气,晴雪喷山雷鼓声。

云日半阴川渐满,客帆皆过浪难平。

高楼晓望无穷意,丹叶黄花绕郡城。

Analysis & Context

This poem is a renowned landscape masterpiece by the Mid-Tang poet Zhu Qingyu. Zhu Qingyu's poetry is known for its elegance and grace, and he excels particularly in depicting female psychology with delicate brushstrokes. However, his landscape poetry also forms a distinctive style of its own, revealing profound thought within its grandeur. This poem was composed during a time when Zhu Qingyu's official career had not yet flourished, while he was residing in the Jiangnan region. At that time, Hangzhou was famous for viewing the Qiantang bore, whose magnificent force was unparalleled in the world.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

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.

Reading Between the Lines

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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