P e n ta s y l l a biC Sh i P oe t ry : l anD s C a P e anD Fa rm s t e aD P oe m s 133
C 6. 6
What I Observed as I Crossed the Lake on My Way from
Southern Mountain to Northern Mountain 於南山往北山經湖中瞻眺
(yú nán shān wàng bĕi shān jīng hú zhōng zhān tiào)At daybreak I set out from the southern cliffs, 朝旦發陽崖 (zhāo dàn fā yáng yá)
2 At sunset I rest at the northern peak. 景落憩陰峰 (jĭng luò qì yīn fēng)
Leaving my boat, I gaze at the distant isles, 舍舟眺迴渚 (shĕ zhōu tiào jiŏng zhŭ)
4 Stopping my staff, I lean against a flourishing pine. 停策倚茂松 (tíng cè yĭ mào sōng)
The side paths are dark and secluded, 側逕既窈窕 (cè jìng jì yăo tiăo)
6 While the circular island is gleaming bright. 環洲亦玲瓏 (huán zhōu yì líng lóng)
I look down, spying the tips of towering trees, 俛視喬木杪 (miăn shì qiáo mù miăo)
8 And look up, hearing the roars of the grand ravines. 仰聆大壑灇 (yăng líng dà huò cóng)
Over the crosswise rocks, the water parts its flow; 石橫水分流 (shí héng shuĭ fēn liú)
10 The woods are so dense paths end their traces. 林密蹊絕蹤 (lín mì xī jué zōng)
“Releasing” and making bring about what ends? 解作竟何感 (xiè zuò jìng hé găn)
12 “Climbing” and growing manifest richly everywhere. 升長皆豐容 (shēng zhăng jiē fēng róng)
First bamboo shoots, enwrapped by green shells, 初篁苞綠籜 (chū huáng bāo lǜ tuò)
14 New rushes, held in purple buds. 新蒲含紫茸 (xīn pŭ hán zĭ róng)
Seagulls sport on the vernal shores, 海鷗戲春岸 (hăi ōu xì chūn àn)
16 Golden pheasants play with the gentle wind. 天雞弄和風 (tiān jī nòng hé fēng)
Embracing change, my heart never tires, 撫化心無厭 (fŭ huà xīn wú yàn)
18 Observing these things, I cherish them even more. 覽物眷彌重 (lăn wù juàn mí zhòng)
I do not regret that I am far from the ancients, 不惜去人遠 (bù xī qù rén yuăn)
20 I only lament that there is no one to join me. 但恨莫與同 (dàn hèn mò yŭ tóng)
Wandering alone, I sigh not out of personal sentiments, 孤遊非情歎 (gū yóu fēi qíng tàn)
22 Rather if appreciation is abandoned, who else will understand
Nature’s principles? 賞廢理誰通 (shăng fèi lĭ shuí tōng)
[XLYJJZ, 118]
The basic story of the poem is straightforward and familiar enough: the poet
tours the mountains and waters and describes what he sees and thinks. However,
it is not altogether clear from which location and at what time of day the lines in the
first half of the poem are written. The poem takes place sometime between dawn
and dusk and somewhere between peak and shore. This ambivalence is aimed less
at mystifying the picture than at providing a comprehensive representation that
transcends time and space.
A look at the function of the allusions to the Yijing will shed some light on the
development of the poem. The allusions in lines 11 and 12 refer to how cosmic
operations (tiandao [ literally, way of heaven]) reified in meteorological phenomena
may bring about regeneration in the sphere of terrestrial processes (didao [ liter-
ally, way of earth]). The poet demonstrates his understanding of this principle by
representing springtime growth and activity in the lines following the question