A view of Tai Shan

  • 望嶽
  • By Du Fu
  • Dynasty: Tang

A view of Tai Shan

Oh Mount Tai, how grand and majestic thou art!
With stature tall and verdant hue, spanning lands near and far.
The creator’s hand hath blessed thee with splendor and mystic might,
Dividing dawn from dusk with thy towering peaks and ceaseless height.

Clouds rise to thy summit, filling hearts with awe and wonder,
And homeward-bound birds circle thee, a sight that brings us under.
One day I shall climb to thy pinnacle, to gaze upon the view,
And behold all the lesser peaks that bask in thy shadowed hue.

Overview:

In the twenty-three years of Kaiyuan (735) of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, the poet went to Luoyang to apply for a Jinshi, but he failed. In the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan (736), the 24-year-old poet began to live an uninhibited roaming life. The author traveled north to Qi and Zhao (now Henan, Hebei, Shandong and other places), and wrote the first poem while roaming. The second poem was written when the author was middle-aged. The prime minister Fang Guan was defeated and lost his teacher Yu Chen Taoxie and was punished. The third poem was written in the author’s later years.

望嶽

岱宗夫如何？齊魯青未了。
造化鍾神秀，陰陽割昏曉。
蕩胸生層雲，決眥入歸鳥。
會當凌絕頂，一覽衆山小。

Du Fu
Du Fu (February 12, 712-770), courtesy name Zimei, nicknamed Shaoling Yelao, No. 1 Duling Yeke and Duling Buyi, was a realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. His works are famous for their grand social r...

Reference

Image: MidJourney/DALL-E 2