Climbing Mount Xian with Friends
Human affairs succeed and pass away;
Their coming and going makes past and present.
Mountains and rivers retain memorable places;
We climb to visit them again.
The water has fallen, exposing Yuliang’s shallows;
In the cold, the Yunmeng marshes seem deep and distant.
Lord Yang’s memorial still stands;
After reading it, tears wet my robe.
Notes
Mount Xian is near Xiangyang. Human affairs succeed one another. Yuliang is a river islet and Yunmeng an ancient marsh region. Lord Yang’s memorial commemorates the Western Jin figure Yang Hu.
Meaning
Climbing Mount Xian with friends, the poet sees the landscape and reads a memorial to Yang Hu, reflecting on passing human affairs.
Appreciation
The opening sets changing human affairs against places that remain.
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A shallow islet and distant marsh make the view concrete.
The standing memorial links the present visit with Yang Hu.
Tears after reading convey remembrance without recounting every historical event.
About the poet
Meng Haoran (689–740) was a Tang poet from the area of present-day Xiangyang, Hubei.
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He traveled widely and wrote about landscapes, rural life and journeys.
He is often associated with Wang Wei; his surviving works include Spring Morning, Passing an Old Friend’s Farm, and Mooring on the Jiande River.