Thousands of mountains rise, cold and emerald-green;
Peach and plum blossoms now adorn the spring scene.
A guest ascends this pavilion for a view;
Gazing east, the endless Yangtze stretches into the blue.
Mist flies over pine-clad slopes at dawn, pale and deep;
Rain passes through bamboo groves, evening emerald drips in sleep.
Houses and towers stand in uneven rows below;
Clouds and rosy mists gather densely in the sky's glow.
The calm lake, green grass, covers the white sand shore;
Steep cliffs and broken banks rise a thousand feet or more.
Amid reeds and rushes, gulls and egrets rest at ease;
Two or three fishing boats come and go as they please.
Willow shades, thick and thin, slant with the setting sun;
Mossy rocks and stone steps flush crimson, all over the mountain run.
Crows caw, descending on withered branches bare;
Amid sounds of chickens and dogs, half a woodcutter's flute fills the air.
A sparse fence, a small hut, just enough to kneel;
Facing the azure sky, I heave a sigh I feel.
Through the dusty town, carriages and horses rush and race;
Who knows to enjoy this secluded, tranquil place?
In the bamboo stove, cypress seeds burn with fragrant grace;
From porcelain cups, jade-green liquor I pour and embrace.
Drinking till muddled, I lie on the stone drum's face;
Awake, I brew tea, at leisure in this space.
Singing a song to the vast sky, I whistle free;
The wind roars through a thousand woods, moonlight shines silvery.
Before the One View Pavilion, my eyes grow bright and clear;
The poem done, I feel heaven and earth narrow and near.
Cloudy cliffs and misty trees, layer upon layer extend;
Three hundred and sixty peaks, truly marvelous, without end.
I'll take an axe to knock on the cave's door, and then,
Ask when the peaches of immortality will ripen again.
Time flows, a flash of lightning, gone in a glance;
All things turn their heads, like an arrow's swift advance.
In Nankang, there's an officer named Chen,
His mind-mirror serene, a whole, unbroken plane,
He laughs at floating life, like a spring swallow in the air.