A great river crosses the broad road,
Crossing it, I chant of hardship and peril.
Ingenious thought rivals divine creation,
The journey transforms danger into play.
The stone bridge fully spans the gorge,
What use are iron chains after all?
In the past, there were marvels of giant turtles,
Now we see the wonder of its structure.
Nature's work left unfinished by heaven,
Seems forced by horned dragons to shift.
Spanning water, turtle-peaks appear,
Soaring in void, roc-wings hang down.
Why bother with floating pillars?
How could makeshift boats compare?
Ages pass, the embankment remains firm,
Years deepen, the masonry does not crumble.
A hanging rainbow often coils proudly,
Cloud-wild geese scatter across the pool.
Numinous beings gather from three directions,
Its fame spreads, pleasing the four seas.
Marvelous carvings rise like flowers and leaves,
Depicting leaping flood dragons.
Towering high, level beyond a whetstone,
Arching below, round as a perfect compass.
Secluded as if from a cinnabar cave,
Windows seem to peer into white cliffs.
Cranes approach the ornamental pillar,
Poets seek out ancient steles.
Swallows' chatter comes in turn,
From Ying to Yue, stretching southward.
Virtuous traces leave no wet feet,
For a thousand autumns, they remain here.