Following the Rhyming Pattern of Zho-zang Gao's Poem
Huang, Ting-jian (1045 A.D.-1105 A.D.)
I was exiled to Qian City 1, 3,000 miles away from the capital.
Living in a house with a leaky roof, I feel as if I am riding a boat all day.
When the Chong-yang Festival 2 arrives, the sky finally clears
3.
Consequently, I drink a lot to celebrate. Gui-men Gate 4 is nearby,
next to the Shu River. Do not laugh that an old man is still proud of himself.
Behold! Few people are white-haired like me. In front of Xi-ma Platform
5,
chasing after Two-Xie, I bend my bow and shoot as I gallop. Full of heroic
spirit, we feel as if we are patting the shoulders of ancient men
6.
1
Qian City was located in present day Peng-shui County, Sichuan Province.
2
On the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, Chinese
people used to drink wine and enjoy observing chrysanthemums to celebrate the
Chong-yang Festival.
3
It rains most of the year in Qian City.
4
"Gui-men Gate" means "The jaws of death". It is a very dangerous section of
a river.
5
The remains of Xi-ma Platform are located south of present day Xu City. It
was built by Yu Xiang. On the platform one could watch the arena below. Emperor
Wu of the Liu-song dynasty held a party on the platform during the Chong-yang
Festival. Both Ling-yun Xie and Zhan Xie wrote poetry at the party.
6
While Huang was in exile, Zho-zang Gao was the Mayor of Qian City. During
the Chong Festival Gao set wine and held a party on Xi-ma Platform. Huang, as
Gao's guest, praised Gao by comparing Gao's party to Emperor Wu’s party.