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Literature

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题都城南庄

崔护

A Poem Written in the South Suburb

Cui Hu

A year ago today from the same gate,

Her face was vying for beauty with the peach blossoms;

But now I do not know where the face gone;

Only the peach blossoms are laughing in the Spring breeze.

大理寺桃花

白居易

人间四月芳菲尽,

山寺桃花始盛开。

长恨春归无觅处,

不知转入此中来。

The Peach Blossoms in Dali Temple Yard

Bai Juyi

Hundreds of blossoms have finished by now in April,

But the peach followers in this mountain are just flourishing;

Being long disappointed that the Spring season has no more,

Then realize here comes the Spring.

Poem Example from Tang Dynasty

题西林壁

苏轼

横看成岭侧成峰，

远近高低各不同。

不识庐山真面目，

只缘身在此山中。

Mountain Lu

—-Su Shi

It looks like hills from front, a peak from the side;
It looks different from far, from near, from above, from below.
You cannot recognize the true appearance of the Mt Lu,
Because you are in the mountains.

These last two lines tell a common sense which can be applied in many situations. E.g.: When a person can not see a thing clearly because he himself is involved in the situation; or he can only see part of the truth because his view is confined by his standing point.

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《登鹤雀楼》

王之涣

白日依山尽，

黄河入海流，

欲穷千里目，

更上一层楼

AT HERON LODGE

——Wang Huan-zhi

Viewing the sky ends at the far Mountains,

The river runs away into the sea,

If you want to see further,

Go up another flight of stairs.

The last two lines: ‘if you want to see further, go up another flight of stairs.’ It sounds a bit plain to an English speaker, just like when you translate ‘Die, or not to die’ into Chinese.