English中文
Looking at Dongting Lake
湖光秋月两相和
Autumn moonlight and lake light blend together;
潭面无风镜未磨
The windless water is a mirror not yet polished.
遥望洞庭山水翠
Far away, Dongting’s hills and waters glow green:
白银盘里一青螺
A green snail resting on a silver plate.
Meaning
Moonlight and autumn water blend on Dongting Lake. Its still surface resembles an unpolished mirror; the distant green island looks like a tiny green snail on a silver plate.
About the poet
Liu Yuxi was a Tang poet. Familiar objects bring his moonlit lake close to us.