Mounting the Height and Viewing the Sea
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《登高丘而望远海》

English Rendering

Mounting the height,

I gaze afar.

Six Giant Turtles'bones emerge on sea,frost-white,

I do not see where the Three Fairy Mountains are.

The Tree Divine half broken,

The sun's great splendors wane.

Celestial palace is a dream unwoken 

Emperors sought in vain.

The sea could not be filled with stones,

Nor could the gap by Turtles'bones.

Have we not seen imperial tombs in ruins lie,

Which shepherds set on fire?

The bandits came to rob your jewels of value high.

What could you do,imperial lier?

Such is the end you warmongers obtained.

Could immortality be ever gained?

Mounting the Height and Viewing the Sea by Li Bai (Li Po)
Mounting the Height and Viewing the Sea by Li Bai (Li Po)

Original Text (中文原文)

登高丘,望远海。

六鳌骨已霜,三山流安在?

扶桑半摧折,白日沈光彩。

银台金阙如梦中,秦皇汉武空相待。

精卫费木石,鼋鼍无所凭。

君不见骊山茂陵尽灰灭,牧羊之子来攀登。

盗贼劫宝玉,精灵竟何能?

穷兵黩武今如此,鼎湖飞龙安可乘?

Analysis & Context

1. Mount Tiantai in present-day Zhejiang Province.

2. According to Chinese legend,elixir could be found in the Fairy Mountains borne by Giant Turtles on the sea,but six Turtles were killed and Fairy Mountains floated off we know not where.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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