Home › Poems › Gazing at Dongting
Wàng Dòng TíngGazing at Dongting 望洞庭
Lake Dongting calm as a mirror on an autumn night, Junshan like a green snail shell.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
湖光秋月两相和
hú guāng qiū yuè liǎng xiāng hé
潭面无风镜未磨
tán miàn wú fēng jìng wèi mó
遥望洞庭山水翠
yáo wàng dòng tíng shān shuǐ cuì
白银盘里一青螺
bái yín pán lǐ yī qīng luó
Simplified characters; traditional title: 望洞庭.
English translation
The lake's sheen and the autumn moon blend as one;
the windless water is a mirror not yet polished.
From afar, Dongting's hills and water glow green —
a single blue snail shell on a silver plate.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Lake Dongting calm as a mirror on an autumn night, Junshan like a green snail shell. The scene stays with you.
Background
Lake Dongting calm as a mirror on an autumn night, Junshan like a green snail shell.
Key words
- 洞庭 dòng tíng
- Lake Dongting
- 白银盘 bái yín pán
- a tray of white silver — the moonlit lake
- 青螺 qīng luó
- a green spiral shell — an island like a shell
About the poet: Liu Yuxi
Liu Yuxi, a close friend of Liu Zongyuan and Bai Juyi, spent over twenty years in exile after the failed reform of 805. Bai Juyi called him the "hero of poetry" for his resilient, witty spirit.
Lifetime: 772–842. Other famous works: Black Robe Lane (乌衣巷); Autumn Song (秋词); The Autumn Wind (秋风引); An Inscription for My Humble Room (陋室铭); Gazing at Dongting (望洞庭); Bamboo Branch Song (竹枝词); Waves Washing Sand (浪淘沙); Admiring Peonies (赏牡丹); Autumn Song II (秋词).
More by Liu Yuxi
- Black Robe Lane乌衣巷
- Autumn Song秋词
- The Autumn Wind秋风引
- Bamboo Branch Song竹枝词
- Waves Washing Sand浪淘沙
- Admiring Peonies赏牡丹
- Autumn Song II秋词