Phcenixes that played here once, so that the place was named for them,
Have abandoned it now to this desolate river;
The paths of Wu Palace are crooked with weeds;
The garments of Chin are ancient dust.
...Like this green horizon halving the Three Peaks,
Like this Island of White Egrets dividing the river,
A cloud has arisen between the Light of Heaven and me,
To hide his city from my melancholy heart.
Original Poem:
「登金陵凤凰台」
李白
凤凰台上凤凰游，凤去台空江自流。
吴宫花草埋幽径，晋代衣冠成古丘。
三山半落青天外，二水中分白鹭洲。
总为浮云能蔽日，长安不见使人愁。
Interpretation:
When Li Bai arrived at Jinling in 747 A.D. and climbed the Phoenix Terrace, he wrote this poem in the same rhyme as Cui Hao’s. The poem is not as famous as Cui Hao’s Yellow Crane Tower poem. Although this poem is not as famous as Cui Hao’s poem about the Yellow Crane Tower, its jaw line and neck line are both famous for ages.
Jinling is the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. The poet writes about what he saw on the platform, praises the magnificent scenery on both sides of the Yangtze River, sighs at the eternity of nature and the rapid change of society and personnel, and brings out the worries about the floating clouds covering the sun and moon, and the national affairs in a state of crisis from the sighs of the rise and fall of history. The whole poem perfectly combines society and nature, history and reality, natural scenery and personal feelings in one breath, with a very high artistic realm.
The first part of the poem borrows the legend of the Phoenix Terrace to write about the subject. The prosperity of the six dynasties has become a cloud of smoke, never to return, and now only the Yangtze River is still flowing. The poet is intent on highlighting the personnel of the “change”, and the natural world of eternity in stark contrast. The poet expressed his feelings: the former majestic palace of Wu, lush gardens, has been deserted; the East Jin Dynasty, the powerful, hot aristocrats have also entered the grave, into a shovelful of earth. The implication is that indulging in luxury life of the emperor, keen on the power and wealth of the family, pleased for a while, but is the history of the passer-by in a hurry to come and go in a hurry.
Finally, he sighs that the floating clouds always cover the sun and moon, so that people can not see Chang’an, and thus inner sorrow and melancholy. The floating clouds cover the sun to symbolise that the emperor is surrounded by evil people and there is no way for the wise and capable people to serve the country, which expresses the worry about the current affairs. Not seeing Chang’an means that one is far away from the capital and cannot see it, which expresses the author’s feeling that it is difficult to fulfil his ambition.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Li Bai (李白), 701 ~ 762 A.D., whose ancestral home was in Gansu, was preceded by Li Guang, a general of the Han Dynasty. Tang poetry is one of the brightest constellations in the history of Chinese literature, and one of the brightest stars is Li Bai.
