English中文
A Cloud over Mount Wu: The Old Temple by Blue Peaks
古庙依青嶂，
行宫枕碧流。
水声山色锁妆楼。
往事思悠悠。
The old temple rests against the green peaks; the imperial retreat rests beside the blue stream. The sound of water and the color of hills lock fast the lady's bower; thoughts of the past go on and on.
云雨朝还暮，
烟花春复秋。
啼猿何必近孤舟。
行客自多愁。
Cloud and rain, morning into night; blossom and mist, spring into autumn. The wailing gibbon need not draw near my lone boat; a traveler has sorrow enough of his own.
Reading notes
行宫 is a residence used by an emperor while travelling. Cloud and rain evoke the Mount Wu goddess tradition. The recurring mornings, evenings and seasons bring thoughts of the past into the landscape. At the end, the traveller’s existing sorrow answers the gibbon’s cry, linking remembrance with the loneliness of travel.