Du Fu: Gaze Into the Distance at Five Sacred Mountains

Gaze Into the Distance at Five Sacred Mountains

望 岳

岱 宗 夫 如 何？
齐 鲁 青 未 了。
造 化 钟 神 秀
阴 阳 割 昏 晓。

荡 胸 生 层 云
决 眦 入 归 鸟。
会 当 凌 绝 顶
一 览 众 山 小。

Wang Yue

Dai zong fu ru he?
Qi lu qing wei liao.
Zao hua zhong shen xiu
Yin yang ge hun xiao.

Dang xiong sheng ceng yun
Jue zi ru gui niao.
Hui dang ling jue ding
Yi lan zhong shan xiao.

Gaze Into the Distance at the Five Sacred Mountains

What does one think of the eternal Mt. Tai?
From Qi to Lu, green colors without limits.
Only deities and Nature can create such elegance
At daybreak one mountainside bright and sunny, the other side in dark shadows, at dusk they trade light and dark like the yin and yang.

Mind-heart emerges, clearing away the overlapping clouds
Out of the corner of my eye, birds come together to enter the mountains.
Later I will tower aloft from the highest peak
With one look, numerous small mountains down below.

Notes:

Five Sacred Mountains:  They include the mountains of Tai, Hengshan, Hua, Heng, and Song.

Mt. Tai: Located in the middle of Shandong Province.