9.古诗三首

Lesson Nine

Three Ancient Poems

Chant of the Twilight River

Bai Juyi the Tang Dynasty

A beam of exhausted sun in the water paved,

Half the river greenish and the other half red.

Lovely is this night of September the third,

The moon looks a bow, the dews genuine pearls.

Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple

Su Shi the Song Dynasty

It’s a range viewed in face and peaks viewed from the side,

Assuming different shapes viewed from far and wide.

Of Mountain Lu we cannot make out the true face,

For we are lost in the heart of the very place.

The Plums and the Snow

Lu Yue the Song Dynasty

For spring the plums and the snow doggedly vie,

Poets have to stop for a fair judgment:

The snow excels somewhat in its pure white,

But the plums beat it with a whiff of fragrance.