A broad sea of clouds will set us apart, north and south.
But don’t shed tears over the shared distance, near or far.
After a rough ride braving frost and snow in desert wind,
You’re yet to outbeat the ‘God’s Elites’ with your wisdom.
When you look back at the moon on the Forbidden City,
Keep your dreams alive around the hills and lakes of spring.
Should the Chief wish to know your family status in Court,
Don’t respond it’s renowned as the first in Middle Kingdom.
云海相望寄此身，哪因远适更沾巾。
不辞驿骑凌风雪，要使天骄识凤麟。
沙漠回看清禁月，湖山应梦武林春。
单于若问君家世，莫道中朝第一人。
1089 saw Su Shi governing Hangzhou for the 2nd time amid his second rise in political status after his first banishment to Huangzhou. He was 58 years old then, still the same man with the same character and eloquence, but touched with more confidence and caution. As the Senior Scholar of Hanlin Academy( 翰林大学士), similar to today’s Secretary General of State, Su Zhe was sent by the Emperor to Qidan to celebrate the birthday of the Huns’ Chief of state. It was a humiliating period in history where the Song, an old Empire, had to pay tribute to a new nation of barbarian tribes.
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.
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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