#river snow

[silvaris]

River Snow and Shadows by Matthew Eernisse

[terracemuse]

he fished for snow in the cold river.

[sinetheta]

千山鳥飛絕，萬徑人蹤滅。 孤舟蓑笠翁，獨釣寒江雪。 A thousand mountains, no sign of birds in flight; Ten thousand paths, no trace of human tracks. In a lone boat, an old man, in rain hat and straw raincoat, Fishing alone, in the cold river snow.

River Snow (江雪) by Liu Zongyuan (柳宗元). Tang Dynasty. 

Liu Zongyuan is a prominent Chinese poet and writer who lived during the Tang Dynasty. He is recognized for his prose writing as one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song (唐宋八大家). Along with writer Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan was a founder of the Classical Prose Movement, in which he advocated for a clear and precise writing style. 

Liu Zongyuan was sent into exile during his civil service career, during which he was able to focus on growing his writing. It was then, in Yongzhou, that he wrote River Snow. The poem paints a scene of winter, as well as themes of isolation and perseverance. When read in Middle Chinese, the first, second, and fourth lines rhyme. 

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[terracemuse]

In a thousand mountains, the flight of birds is not seen. One thousand paths, human footprints have vanished.  (Liu Zhong Yuan 773-819)

[poem-today]

A poem by Mark Van Doren

River Snow

The flakes are a little thinner where I look, For I can see a circle of grey shore, And greyer water, motionless beyond. But the other shore is gone, and right and left Earth and sky desert me. Still I stand And look at the dark circle that is there— As if I were a man blinded with whiteness, And one grey spot remained. The flakes descend, Softly, without a sound that I can tell— When out of the further white a gull appears, Crosses the hollow place, and goes again… There was no flap of wing; no feather fell. But now I hear him crying, far away, And think he may be wanting to return… The flakes descend… And shall I see the bird? Not one path is open through the snow.

Mark Van Doren (1894-1972)

[sy-oma]

Turn on summer for me!