“Spring Rain” by Li Shangyin depicts a mood of wistfulness set against the quiet melancholy of a freshly arrived spring. The poet begins by describing his own state—lying⋯ Read the full article

In this first of Li Shangyin’s “Yantai Four Poems,” the poet paints a scene in which the gentle hues of willow trees shroud a once-splendid tower. These lines invoke a se⋯ Read the full article

In this untitled poem, Li Shangyin portrays the tender ache of affection set against the backdrop of night skies and gentle breezes. The opening lines evoke a wistful mem⋯ Read the full article

Li Shangyin’s poem “Untitled (Meeting Is Hard, Parting Is Also Hard)” captures the complexity of human emotion when love and distance intertwine. The opening lines highli⋯ Read the full article

Li Shangyin’s poem “The Brocade Zither” is renowned for its layered imagery and emotional depth. The poem opens with a zither of fifty strings, suggesting a vast range of⋯ Read the full article

In “Night Rain Sent North,” Li Shangyin addresses a friend or loved one far away, capturing the profound ache of separation on a rainy evening. The setting of the Ba Moun⋯ Read the full article

In this poem, Wang Wei contemplates the tomb of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, whose ambitious rule reshaped the land through magnificent feats like the Great Wall⋯ Read the full article

Wang Wei’s “Peach Blossom Journey” invokes the legend of a hidden utopia, a theme famously introduced by Tao Yuanming in his prose work “Peach Blossom Spring.” In this po⋯ Read the full article

In “Song of the Old General,” poet Wang Wei celebrates the resilience, courage, and unwavering duty of a seasoned warrior. The poem opens by recounting the speaker’s yout⋯ Read the full article

In this poem, Wang Wei presents a contemplative view of the Han River and the grand sweep of its currents. By depicting the physical vastness—from its winding journey to ⋯ Read the full article

Wang Wei’s “Green Creek” is a serene meditation on nature’s tranquil beauty and its power to bring us into a state of peace. Throughout the poem, the speaker follows the ⋯ Read the full article

In this poem, Wang Wei captures the calm that settles over his Wangchuan estate once continuous rain finally relents. Each couplet evokes a different facet of a rural wor⋯ Read the full article

In “Returning to Mount Song,” Wang Wei paints an image of someone gradually detaching from worldly bustle. As the poem unfolds, the speaker observes a calm river extendin⋯ Read the full article

In “Passing Xiangji Temple,” Wang Wei takes us along a journey deep into the mountains, where Xiangji Temple stands out of sight. The poem’s first lines highlight the poe⋯ Read the full article

In “Mount Zhongnan,” Wang Wei transports us to a grand, rugged landscape where peaks extend from near the capital to the ocean’s far edges. This poem unfolds an almost pa⋯ Read the full article