Four Regulated Verses: Heavenly Lake / Tiger Hill / Mount Tai / Sea-Gazing Terrace

2006/6/11 12:41:18

Heavenly Lake

Deep valleys purge the summer heat
On steep cliffs the path winds and coils
A jade mirror floats halfway in the sky
Icy peaks rise from the earth's rim
Boats glide, parting the sun's reflection
Layered waves scatter the lake's mist
On far slopes flowers blaze with color
Songs and dances join the Hú strings

Tiger Hill

Below Tiger Hill lies the King of Wú's tomb
Ancient trees, solemn, where summer cicadas clamor
Green grass on long stairs, clouds in solitude
Gray walls, leaning tower, an air somber and bleak
Three thousand precious swords buried in barren soil
Half a lifetime's ambition turned to raging tides
Blood on the blade of Yúcháng, not yet dry
By Silk-Washing Stream, Yuè songs still stir the air

Mount Tai

Mount Tai soars aloft, dividing Qí from Lǔ
Veiling the sky, splitting the plains, the sea lies east
Forests trace dawn and dusk where ridges and cliffs break
Mountain moods shift from shade to sun, trees and grass merge
In silence, coiling clouds seem about to rain
Towering through the day, suddenly turning to wind
Fading sunset brushes the stone of the First Emperor
Where once was beheld the might of Emperor Wǔ of Hàn

Sea-Gazing Terrace

Evening air hangs somber over the Sea-Gazing Terrace
Snow-white breakers pierce the sky like rolling thunder
What remains of the First Emperor? Just mounds of earth
Cáo Cāo's broken stele — how many layers of moss?
A thousand years of wind and cloud drift with the water
Stars and moon across the sky chase the returning tide
Rise and fall all pour into the wine in my cup
Drink and sing boldly — count not the cups!