Rank grasses grow, six dynasties' splendors no more;
The sky is lightly blue and clouds free as of yore.
Birds come and go into the gloom of wooded hills,
And songs and wails alike merge in murmuring rills.
Like countless window curtains falls late autumn rain:
High towers steeped in sunset, wind and flute's refrain.
O how I miss the lakeside sage of bygone days!
I see but ancient trees loom rugged in the haze.
Original Poem:
「题宣州开元寺水阁」
杜牧
六朝文物草连空，天淡云闲今古同。
鸟去鸟来山色里，人歌人哭水声中。
深秋帘幕千家雨，落日楼台一笛风。
惆怅无因见范蠡，参差烟树五湖东。
Interpretation:
This poem was written in the third year of the Tang Dynasty’s Kāichéng era (838 CE), when Du Mu was 26 years old. It was inspired by his travels to Xuanzhou (modern-day Xuancheng, Anhui) and the Shui Pavilion at Kaiyuan Temple. The poet, standing on the pavilion and gazing into the distance, reflects on the rise and fall of the Six Dynasties' ancient capital and expresses his deep feelings about the impermanence of history and life. At the same time, the poem conveys his yearning for the recluse life of Fan Li.
First Couplet:“六朝文物草连空，天淡云闲今古同。”
（Six dynasties' relics, grass entwined with the empty sky, the pale clouds of heaven, timeless, unchanged.）
Through the desolate image of overgrown grass covering the relics of the Six Dynasties, the poet contrasts the fleeting nature of human civilization with the timelessness of the sky and clouds, revealing the grand changes in history versus the permanence of nature.
Second Couplet:“鸟去鸟来山色里，人歌人哭水声中。”
（Birds come and go in the mountain shades, people's songs and cries are mingled with the sound of water.）
The poet describes the intertwined natural and human scenes of Xuancheng, where birds and human voices symbolize the passing of time and the joys and sorrows of life, subtly hinting at the transience of the world and the fleeting nature of existence.
Third Couplet:“深秋帘幕千家雨，落日楼台一笛风。”
（In late autumn, a curtain of rain falls on thousands of homes, the sound of a flute in the twilight breeze from a pavilion.）
The fine autumn rain creates a misty curtain over the homes, while the evening sun’s fading light brings the melancholic sound of a flute from a distant pavilion. These contrasting images of rain and the flute’s sound evoke the poet’s inner calmness and sorrow.
Fourth Couplet:“惆怅无因见范蠡，参差烟树五湖东。”
（With sorrow and no way to meet Fan Li, I gaze at the distant smoke-wreathed trees of the East Five Lakes.）
The poet expresses his longing for a reclusive life by gazing at the distant smoke around the Five Lakes, evoking his wish to live like the recluse Fan Li. This evokes a sense of melancholy and reflects on the fleeting nature of the past glories of the Six Dynasties.
Writing Features:
- Blending of Nature and Emotion: The entire poem uses depictions of Xuancheng’s natural landscape to express the poet’s reflections on history and the brevity of life. The integration of emotion into the scenery creates a deep emotional resonance.
- Interweaving of Time and Space, Reality and Illusion: The poem blends historical reflection on the rise and fall of the Six Dynasties with descriptions of the present autumn landscape, skillfully merging past and present, reality and illusion.
- Concise Language, Deep Meaning: The poet’s choice of words, such as “grass entwined with the sky,” “curtain of rain,” and “flute wind,” creates vivid imagery that enhances the poem’s visual and emotional impact.
- Rhythm and Emotion: The poem’s flow is smooth with moments of pause, and its imagery is bright yet tinged with sorrow, creating a unique style of clarity intertwined with melancholy.
Overall Appreciation:
Du Mu uses the sights and feelings from his visit to the Shui Pavilion in Xuancheng to guide the poem’s development, layering descriptions of the Six Dynasties’ rise and fall, the scenery of Xuancheng, and the poet’s complex inner emotions. The first couplet reflects on the lost grandeur of the Six Dynasties, while the second portrays the natural and human elements of time’s passage. The third evokes the distinct atmosphere of autumn, and the final couplet, with its mention of Fan Li, expresses the poet’s yearning for a life of reclusion. The poem is skillfully composed, with a clear structure and an interplay between history, reality, and transcendence.
Inspiration
This poem reminds us that departures in life often come with complex emotions. While the outside world may be full of energy, the loneliness within can become more pronounced, making the emotional contrast even more poignant. The vivid descriptions of the changing seasons also reflect the fluctuations of the human heart, offering us a chance to observe and reflect on our own emotions in everyday life.
Poem translator:
Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)
About the poet:
Du Mu (杜牧), 803-853 AD, was a native of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Among the poets of the Late Tang Dynasty, he was one of those who had his own characteristics, and later people called Li Shangyin and Du Mu as "Little Li and Du". His poems are bright and colorful.
