Looking at Lake Dongting: To Chancellor Zhang
In the eighth month the lake is level with its banks;
It holds the sky and merges with the clear heavens.
Mist rises over the ancient Yunmeng marshes;
Waves seem to shake Yueyang City.
I wish to cross, but have no boat or oars;
Remaining idle, I feel ashamed in an enlightened age.
I sit and watch those who are fishing,
With only the longing to catch fish myself.
Notes
Chancellor Zhang is Zhang Jiuling. The lake reflects the sky; Yunmeng names an ancient marsh region. A boat and oars signify means to cross. The fisherman and fish serve as a comparison for wishing to take part while lacking the means.
Meaning
A vast view of Lake Dongting leads to images of wanting to cross and watching fishermen, suggesting a desire for opportunity.
Appreciation
The opening joins lake and sky, then widens the scene with mist and waves.
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Wanting to cross without a boat turns the landscape toward the speaker’s circumstances.
Addressed to Zhang Jiuling, the closing fishing image indirectly expresses a wish for opportunity.
The description of an enlightened age is the poem’s language of praise, not an independently established historical verdict.
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.