Looking toward Mount Tai
What is Mount Tai, revered among the peaks, like?
Its green spreads endlessly across the lands of Qi and Lu.
Nature gathers its beauty here;
The mountain divides bright day from shadow.
Rising layers of cloud stir my heart;
I strain my eyes to follow the returning birds.
One day I will climb to the highest summit
And see how small the surrounding mountains are.
Notes
Dai Zong is an honorific name for Mount Tai. Qi and Lu refer broadly to the region of modern Shandong. Nature gathers beauty; the mountain’s faces differ in light and shadow. The speaker strains his eyes after birds, then resolves to reach the summit.
Meaning
The poet looks toward Mount Tai, describes its scale and changing light, then imagines climbing its summit.
Appreciation
The poem unfolds through looking: a question introduces the mountain, and its green extends across a broad region.
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Nature’s gathered beauty and the contrast of light and shadow convey both grace and height.
Clouds and returning birds animate the distant view; the speaker strains to follow them.
The ending turns from observation to aspiration: it imagines a future ascent rather than recording one already made.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.