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Shān Cūn Yǒng HuáiA Mountain Village 山村咏怀
Shao Yong counts from one to ten in a picture of a village, a primer poem for children.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
一去二三里
yī qù èr sān lǐ
烟村四五家
yān cūn sì wǔ jiā
亭台六七座
tíng tái liù qī zuò
八九十枝花
bā jiǔ shí zhī huā
Simplified characters; traditional title: 山村詠懷.
English translation
Going out two or three li,
a misty village of four or five homes,
six or seven pavilions and terraces,
eight, nine, ten sprays of flowers.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Shao Yong counts from one to ten in a picture of a village, a primer poem for children. The scene stays with you.
Background
Shao Yong counts from one to ten in a picture of a village, a primer poem for children.
Key words
- 一去 yī qù
- gone once and for all; departed without return
- 二三 èr sān
- two or three; a few
- 烟村 yān cūn
- a misty village; smoke over cottages
About the poet: Shao Yong
Shao Yong wrote clear philosophical and seasonal verse.
Lifetime: 1011–1077. Other famous works: A Mountain Village (山村咏怀).