64 t He Han Dy na s t y
For a thousand leagues of flat marshland, 亭皋千里 (tíng gāo qiān lĭ)
There is nothing that has not been tamped
smooth. 靡不被築 (mí bú bèi zhù)
The ground is covered with green patchouli, 揜以綠蕙 (yăn yĭ lǜ huì)
130 Blanketed with lovage shoots, 被以江離 (bèi yĭ jiāng lí)
Scattered with lovage leaves, 糅以蘼蕪 (róu yĭ mí wú)
Strewn with peonies, 雜以留夷 (zá yĭ liú yí)
Spreading knot-thread, 布結縷 (bù jié lǚ)
Clustered green galingale, 攢戾莎 (cuán lì suō)
135 Cart-halt, asarum, bugleweed, 揭車衡蘭 (jiē chē héng lán)
Sichuan lovage, blackberry lily, 槀本射干 (hào bĕn yè gān)
Purple ginger, mioga ginger, 茈薑蘘荷 (zī jiāng ráng hé)
Winter cherry, ground-cherry, pollia, sweet flag, 葴持若蓀 (zhēn chí ruò sūn)
Malabar spinach, virgin’s bower, 鮮支黃礫 (xiān zhī huáng lì)
140 Water bamboo, burreed tuber, and green sedge, 蔣芧青薠 (jiăng zhù qīng fán)
Spread and sprawl over the wide marsh, 布濩閎澤 (bù huò hóng zé)
Range and ramble over the great plain, 延曼太原 (yán màn tài yuán)
Tightly tangled, broadly stretching. 離靡廣衍 (lí mí guăng yăn)
Bent and blown by the wind, 應風披靡 (yīng fēng pī mí)
145 They emit fragrance, waft pungency, 吐芳揚烈 (tŭ fāng yáng liè)
Rich and redolent, sweetly-scented, 郁郁菲菲 (yù yù fēi fēi)
And myriad perfumes issue forth, 眾香發越 (zhòng xiāng fā yuè)
Spread and scatter, permeating everything, 肸蠁布寫 (xì xiăng bù xiĕ)
Thick and heavy, strong and sharp. 晻薆咇茀 (yăn ài bí bó)
“And then, gazing round, broadly viewing, one sees such plenteous profusion, such a vast vista, he
becomes dizzy and dazed, confounded and confused.
於是乎周覽氾觀，縝紛軋芴，芒芒怳忽。150 “Look at it, and it has no beginning; 視之無端 (shì zhī wú duān)
Examine it, and it has no end. 察之無涯 (chá zhī wú yá)
The sun rises from its eastern pond, 日出東沼 (rì chū dōng zhăo)
Sets at its western dike. 入虖西陂 (rù hū xī bēi)
To the south 其南則 (qí nán zé)
155 In deepest winter there are germination and
growth, 隆冬生長 (lóng dōng shēng zhăng)
Bubbling waters, and surging waves. 涌水躍波 (yŏng shuĭ yuè bō)
Its animals are: 其獸則 (qí shòu zé)
The zebu, hairy yak, tapir, grunting ox, 庸旄貘犛 (yōng mào mò lí)
Plunging bull, sambar, elaphure, 沈牛麈麋 (chén niú zhŭ mí)
160 Redhead, roundhoof, 赤首圜題 (chì shŏu yuán tí)
Extreme extraordinaire, elephant, and rhinoceros. 窮奇象犀 (qióng qí xiàng xī)
To the north 其北則 (qí bĕi zé)
In full summer it is enveloped in freezing cold
that cleaves the ground; 盛夏含凍裂地 (shèng xià hán dòng liè dì)