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Shān Xíng Liú KèAsking a Guest to Stay on a Mountain Walk 山行留客

Zhang Xu (张旭, also known as Chang Hsü, Zhang Dian)｜High Tang｜seven-character quatrain

Zhang Xu persuades a guest to stay: even deep in the clouds, clothes get wet.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

山光物态弄春晖
shān guāng wù tài nòng chūn huī

莫为轻阴便拟归
mò wèi qīng yīn biàn nǐ guī

纵使晴明无雨色
zòng shǐ qíng míng wú yǔ sè

入云深处亦沾衣
rù yún shēn chù yì zhān yī

Simplified characters; traditional title: 山行留客.

The mountain light and all things play in the spring sun;

don't think of leaving just because of a little cloud.

Even if it's clear and bright with no sign of rain,

deep in the clouds your clothes will still get wet.

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

山光物态弄春晖 · shān guāng wù tài nòng chūn huī — The mountain light and all things play in the spring sun;

莫为轻阴便拟归 · mò wèi qīng yīn biàn nǐ guī — don't think of leaving just because of a little cloud.

纵使晴明无雨色 · zòng shǐ qíng míng wú yǔ sè — Even if it's clear and bright with no sign of rain,

入云深处亦沾衣 · rù yún shēn chù yì zhān yī — deep in the clouds your clothes will still get wet.

Zhang Xu persuades a guest to stay: even deep in the clouds, clothes get wet. The scene stays with you.

Zhang Xu persuades a guest to stay: even deep in the clouds, clothes get wet.

Zhang Xu, the Sage of Cursive Script, was also a High Tang poet.

Lifetime: 8th c.. Other famous works: Asking a Guest to Stay on a Mountain Walk (山行留客); Peach Blossom Stream (桃花溪).