敕勒川
The Chile plain,
阴山下
Below the Yin Mountains.
天似穹庐
The sky is like a great round tent,
笼盖四野
Covering the open land.
天苍苍
The sky stretches blue and vast;
野茫茫
The grassland spreads without end.
风吹草低见牛羊
Wind bends the grass, revealing cattle and sheep.
What the poem means
Below the Yin Mountains, the sky arches like a great tent over open grassland. Wind bends the grass and reveals cattle and sheep. In the final line, 见 is pronounced xiàn, meaning to appear.
Meet the poet
This Northern Dynasties folk song has no identified individual author. Wind bends the grass to reveal cattle and sheep.
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