咏怀

The mountain's visage, washed, gleams with verdant hue;

The river's light upon my skin shines white and new.

The magpies chatter, flitting through the branches' maze;

The cicadas chirp, clinging to the leaves in praise.

The reeds and rushes whisper as the breezes sway;

The parasol trees wear autumn's colors, faint and gray.

Grasses and trees, devoid of power, stand in view;

While yin and yang contend, their forces interplay.

Within the cosmic change, we humans make our stay,

Truly like travelers who must soon go away.

The hidden boat moves on at midnight, swift and deep,

With no need for the strength of heroes in their keep.

The dusty net of cares envelops all the earth;

The greedy man is caught within its woven girth.

Alas, my nature loves the hills and streams alone;

Within my humble room, I find a peaceful zone.

Roaming wild, I let my wondrous thoughts take flight;

Pondering the traces left by worldly blight.

The wind rocks the raft that sails the boundless sea;

The rain soaks the clogs that climb the mountain, free.

The world is far, its affairs absurd and vain;

The sky is high, its vastness empty and arcane.

A lonely swan in flight, so tiny and so slight,

With one great beat, its six wings spread in soaring might.

This feeling none can know, this thought within my breast;

Alone I whistle by the silent rocky nest.