Climbing the Linyun Temple Pavilion in Jiazhou - Du Fu
/登嘉州凌云寺阁 - 杜甫/
A High Pavilion Overlooking Converging Rivers
高阁俯三江，
From this high pavilion, I gaze down upon three rivers,
凌云壮此观。
Lofty clouds magnify this majestic scene.
水声入疏雨，
The rush of water mingles with gentle rainfall,
山色抱孤峦。
While emerald mountains cradle a solitary peak.
野寺尘埃远，
A remote temple remains far from earthly dust,
秋帆日夜寒。
As autumn sails brave the chill day and night.
客心何处寄，
Where does a traveler’s heart find rest?
回首忆长安。
Turning back, I long for Chang’an.
In this poem, Du Fu describes standing atop the Linyun Temple Pavilion in Jiazhou (present-day Leshan) and looking out over the confluence of three mighty rivers. Though the scene boasts grand natural beauty—towering clouds, distant peaks, and the continuous rush of water—there is an undercurrent of longing woven throughout the verse.
Du Fu contrasts the pavilion’s elevated perspective and the temple’s tranquil remoteness with his own unsettled spirit: the world below is in ceaseless flow, while he, the traveler, cannot help but recall the capital city of Chang’an, which he yearns to see again. The poem subtly suggests how even the most impressive natural vistas can’t fully quiet the ache of nostalgia.
The imagery is rich: rivers that merge and reflect the sky, mountains that seem to cradle a lone peak, and a temple kept pure from mundane concerns. Each image emphasizes physical distance—between the speaker and his hometown, between the earthly and the heavenly—and symbolizes how personal separation mirrors the literal expanse of the land. While Du Fu admires the majestic domain around him, he remains tethered to his memories and the people who reside far away.
In just eight lines, the poet invites readers to contemplate how physical grandeur can both inspire awe and amplify feelings of displacement. The contrast of natural spectacle versus inner longing is one of Du Fu’s hallmarks, reflecting his life during a period of social unrest, when journeys were often prolonged and reunions uncertain. Thus, the poem captures a moment of visual splendor and spiritual reflection, encouraging us to find resonance in that tension between the beauty of the present and the pull of what we’ve left behind.
Key points
Even the most breathtaking landscapes cannot entirely dispel a traveler’s yearning for home. Du Fu’s concise yet evocative imagery demonstrates that while nature may offer solace, it also highlights how far one has roamed—reminding us that, often, our hearts remain where we began.
