| Window on Chinese Poetry |
Reader comments on "View from a Height" Bai Ju Yi I like this poem because I like nature. In this poem, it mentions many things in nature, including wind, sky, forest and river. I hope I can have a chance to view the scenery from the top of the mountain; I think it must be very beautiful. The sentence in this poem that I appreciate most is: "Infinite forest, bleakly shedding leaf after leaf; inexhaustible river, rolling on wave after wave." The words "infinite" and "inexhaustible" have similar meanings. Also, there is the same repetition pattern "something after something", in both of the sentences, so I like these lines. Sharon Kwok The poem is presented below: |
"View from a Height" by Bai Ju Yi Sharp wind, towering sky, apes howling mournfully; untouched island, white sand, birds flying in circles. Infinite forest, bleakly shedding leaf after leaf; inexhaustible river, rolling on wave after wave. Through a thousand miles of melancholy autumn, I travel; carrying a hundred years of sickness, I climb to this terrace. Hardship and bitter regret have frosted my temples-- and what torments me most? Giving up wine! Adapted from a translation by David Lunde T |