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È Zhōu Nán Lóu Shū ShìAt the South Tower of Ezhou 鄂州南楼书事

Huang Tingjian (黄庭坚, also known as Huang T'ing-chien, Shangu)｜Northern Song｜seven-character quatrain

Huang Tingjian enjoying the cool on a tower on a summer night.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

四顾山光接水光
sì gù shān guāng jiē shuǐ guāng

凭栏十里芰荷香
píng lán shí lǐ jì hé xiāng

清风明月无人管
qīng fēng míng yuè wú rén guǎn

倂作南楼一味凉
bìng zuò nán lóu yī wèi liáng

Simplified characters; traditional title: 鄂州南樓書事.

On every side the glow of the hills meets the glow of the water;

leaning on the rail, ten miles of water-chestnut and lotus scent.

The clear breeze and bright moon belong to no one —

together they make the South Tower one pure coolness.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

四顾山光接水光 · sì gù shān guāng jiē shuǐ guāng — On every side the glow of the hills meets the glow of the water;

凭栏十里芰荷香 · píng lán shí lǐ jì hé xiāng — leaning on the rail, ten miles of water-chestnut and lotus scent.

清风明月无人管 · qīng fēng míng yuè wú rén guǎn — The clear breeze and bright moon belong to no one —

倂作南楼一味凉 · bìng zuò nán lóu yī wèi liáng — together they make the South Tower one pure coolness.

Huang Tingjian enjoying the cool on a tower on a summer night. The scene stays with you.

Huang Tingjian enjoying the cool on a tower on a summer night.

Huang Tingjian was patriarch of the Jiangxi school and a major calligrapher.

Lifetime: 1045–1105. Other famous works: At the South Tower of Ezhou (鄂州南楼书事).