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'李白 當塗趙炎少府粉圖山水歌 translation: Ode to a Scenic Painting by the Official Zhao Yan of Dangtu County, by Li Bai'

This is a translation / annotation of the poem 當塗趙炎少府粉圖山水歌 by the Tang dynasty poet 李白. Please point out any issues in the comments at the end of the page.

當塗趙炎少府粉圖山水歌

Dāngtú Zhào Yán shǎofǔ fěntú shānshuǐ gē [Dang] [Tu] [Zhao] [Yan] [official][] [powder] [picture] [water] [mountain] [song] Ode to a Scenic Painting by the Official Zhao Yan of Dangtu County

峨眉高出西極天, Éméi gāo chū xī jí tiān, [E] [Mei] [high] [exit] [west] [utmost] [sky] Mt. E'mei towers in the west, reaching the sky,

羅浮直與南溟連。 luófú zhí yǔ nán míng lián. [Luo] [Fu] [straight] [to] [south] [sea] [link] and Mt. Luofu reaches right to the south sea.

名公繹思揮彩筆, Míng gōng yì sī huī cǎi bǐ, [famous] [man] [unravel] [thought] [scatter] [colour] [brush] A famous master unravels his thoughts in a scattering of colour and brush strokes,

驅山走海置眼前。 qū shān zǒu hǎi zhì yǎnqián. [drive] [mountain] [go] [sea] [put] [eye] [before] driving the mountains into the sea to put them before one's eyes.

滿堂空翠如可掃, Mǎn táng kōng cuì rú kě sǎo, [whole] [hall] [empty] [blue green] [like] [can] [sweep] It fills the hall's emptiness with blue colour that seems touchable;

赤城霞氣蒼梧煙。 chìchéng xiá qì cāngwú yān. [Chi] [Cheng] [red cloud] [air] [Cang] [Wu] [mist] there is the red clouded air of Mt. Chicheng, and the mists of Cangwu.

洞庭瀟湘意渺綿, Dòngtíng xiāoxiāng yì miǎo mián, [Dong] [Ting] [Xiao] [Xiang] [idea] [vast] [silk] The Dongting and Xiaoxiang rivers make one think of a vast silk-work;

三江七澤情洄沿。 sānjiāng qī zé qíng huí yán. [three] [river] [seven] [pool] [feeling] [whirl] [along] the three rivers and seven pools, like friendship, ebb and flow.

驚濤洶湧向何處, Jīng tāo xiōngyǒng xiàng hé chù, [alarm] [great wave] [torrential] [rush forth] [to] [what] [place] Raging waves surge forth to what place? -

孤舟一去迷歸年。 gū zhōu yī qù mí guī nián. [lone] [boat] [as soon as] [go] [lost] [return] [year] a lone boat, once gone, is lost for a year without return.

征帆不動亦不旋, Zhēngfān bùdòng yì bù xuán, [expedition] [sail] [not] [move] [also] [not] [revolve] The sail of an expedition boat does not move, does not turn,

飄如隨風落天邊。 piāorú suí fēng luò tiānbiān. [float] [like] [follow] [wind] [go out] [Heaven] [edge] floating as if wind-borne to the edge of Heaven.

心搖目斷興難盡, Xīn yáo mù duàn xìng nán jìn, [heart] [shake] [eye] [break] [excite] [hard] [exhaust] One's heart shakes and eyes break, the enthusiasm almost endless -

幾時可到三山巔。 jǐshí kě dào sānshān diān. [how much] [time] [can] [arrive] [three] [mountain] [summit] how long would it take to reach the Three Summits?

西峰崢嶸噴流泉, Xifēng zhēng róng pēnliú quán, [west] [peak] [lofty] [towering] [spray] [flow] [spring] The West Peak towering and lofty, bursting with flowing springs;

橫石蹙水波潺湲。 héng shí cù shuǐbō chányuán. [horizontal] [stone] [block] [water] [wave] [flow] [rush] horizontal stones block the rush and flow of the waves.

東崖合沓蔽輕霧, Dōng yá hé dá bì qīng wù, [east] [cliff] [together] [pile] [conceal] [light] [mist] The East Cliffs concealed in layers of light mist;

深林雜樹空芊綿。 shēnlín zá shù kòng qiān mián. [deep] [woods] [mixed] [tree] [vacant] [lush] [silk] in deep woods, a menagerie of trees, vacant yet lush like silk.

此中冥昧失晝夜, Cǐ zhōng míng mèi shī zhòuyè, [this] [in] [dark] [dark] [lose] [day] [night] In this dark gloom, one loses day and night,

隱几寂聽無鳴蟬。 yìn jī jì tīng wú míng chán. [lean on] [table] [silent] [listen] [not have] [call] [cicada] leaning on the table in silence, listening – there is no sound of cicadas.

長松之下列羽客, Zhǎngsōng zhī xiàliè yǔ kè, [long] [pine] ['s] [below] [line up] [Daoist priest][] Daoist priests line up below a tall pine tree;

對坐不語南昌仙。 duì zuò bù yǔ nánchāng xian. [opposite] [sit] [not] [speak] [Nan] [Chang] [imortal] opposite, unspeaking, sits the Nanchang Immortal.

南昌仙人趙夫子, Nánchāng xiānrén zhào fūzǐ, [Nan] [Chang] [immortal] [person] [Zhao] [master][] The Nanchang Immortal, Master Zhao,

妙年曆落青雲士。 miào niánlì luò qīngyún shì. [young] [year] [calendar] [accept] [official position][] [scholar] though still young has a high official position.

訟庭無事羅眾賓, Sòng tíng wúshì luózhòngbīn, [litigation] [court] [not have] [matter] [sift] [numerous] [visitor] When there is no work in the court, he receives numerous guests,

杳然如在丹青裡。 yǎorán rú zài dānqīng li. [dark] [-ly] [like] [in] [red] [green] [in] as though he is in the dark painting himself.

五色粉圖安足珍, Wǔsè fěn tú ān zú zhēn, [five] [colour] [powder] [picture] [still] [enough] [precious] This painting of splendid colours is not so precious -

真仙可以全吾身。 zhēn xian kěyǐ quán wú shēn. [true] [immortal] [can] [take] [whole] [my] [body] the truly immortal can protect my life.

若待功成拂衣去, Ruò dài gōng chéng fú yī qù, [if] [wait] [success] [complete] [pull] [clothes] [go] If I wait for my accomplishments to be complete before shrugging off my official clothes,

武陵桃花笑殺人。 wǔlíng táohuā xiào shārén. [Wu] [Ling] [peach] [flower] [laugh] [kill] [person] the peach blossoms of Wuling will die laughing.


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