Li Bai
Seafarers speak of Yingzhou
Mist-shrouded hard to find
Yue folk tell of Tianmu
Peeking through cloud and shine
Tianmu soars blocks the sky
O’ertops Five Peaks hides Chicheng high
Tiantai ten thousand zhang tall
Bends southeast before its call
I dream of Wu and Yue that night
Fly o’er Mirror Lake moon-bright
Moonlight bears my shadow low
To Shanxi Stream where I go
Xie’s lodge still stands clear waves roll
Gibbons cry soft from pole to pole
I don his clogs climb cloud-ladder steep
Halfway up sea sun peeps
Sky rooster crows from air so deep
Crags twist paths shift no fixed way
I lean on stones flowers hold sway—
Dusk falls fast fades the day
Bears roar dragons hum rock-springs resound
Forests tremble peaks astound
Clouds darken rain draws near
Waters haze misty and clear
Lightning splits thunder crashes loud
Hills crack boulders crowd
Cave gates of stone swing open wide
Heaven’s vault no bottom no side
Sun and moon gild silver-gold halls
Rainbow robes wind as steeds cloud lords descend in thralls
Tigers play lutes phoenixes draw carts
Immortals line up countless parts
My soul shakes startled I wake with a sigh
Only pillow and mat where mist and clouds once lie
Worldly joys fade like this dream’s fleeting breath
All things flow east like rivers to death
When shall I return dear friends to your side
I’ll leave my white deer ‘mid green hills to abide
Ride when I will where mountains bide
How can I bow and scrape to the proud and the great
Never shall I let my true heart fade!