— Zu Yong
How steep and fair the shady ridge!
Snow-crowned peaks float above the cloud.
The forest’s bright in sunset dyed,
With evening cold the town’s overflowed.
终南望余雪
— 唐 · 祖咏
终南阴岭秀，
积雪浮云端。
林表明霁色，
城中增暮寒。
Zu Yong (699-746), a poet of the Tang Dynasty, was born in Luoyang (present-day Luoyang, Henan Province). He gained literary fame at a young age and excelled in poetry, forming a close friendship with Wang Wei. In 724 AD, he passed the imperial examination but was not appointed to an official position for a long time. Later, he entered government service but faced demotion and exile, leading to a troubled official career. Eventually, he withdrew from public life and lived in seclusion near the Ru River.
This poem, composed by Zu Yong, is well-known for its description of natural beauties: the snow-crowned peaks mingling with floating cloud, and the gloomy forest on the mountainside brightened as if dyed by the setting sun.
This poem was written for an imperial examination. At that time, Zu Yong, then a young man, went to Chang’an to take the exam, where the assigned topic was “Snow atop the Southern Mountains.” The requirement was to compose a five-character regulated verse with six rhymes and twelve lines. However, Zu Yong believed that four lines were sufficient to convey the complete meaning, and he set down his brush after writing them. The examiner urged him to rewrite, but he insisted on his view. Ultimately, the condensed imagery and humanistic concern in his poem moved the examiner, and he was admitted.
The poet stands in the city of Chang’an, gazing into the distance at the Southern Mountains(Mount Zhongnan). What catches his eye is the northern slope of the mountains, known as the “shady ridge” or “shady side”. The northern side, being less exposed to sunlight, retains patches of lingering snow.
Naturally, snow cannot truly float above the clouds, but here the poet employs a marvelous artistic imagination and exaggeration. The shady ridge of the Zhongnan Mountain towers into the clouds, and the pure white snow atop the peaks glimmers with a cold radiance under the sunlight. At the same time, the mist and clouds drift and flow continuously around the mountains. Viewed from distant Chang’an, the snow above the clouds merges with the floating mist, creating the illusion that the snow appears to float atop the clouds.
This scene takes place just after a snowfall, as the sunlight begins to shine upon the earth once more. The sunlight bathes the treetops high on the Zhongnan Mountain, painting them with bright and dazzling colors. The poet deliberately emphasizes the “forest crest” because only the high elevations of the Zhongnan Mountain—specifically, the treetops on the shady ridge mentioned earlier—are the first to be bathed in the newly emerged sunlight. As the setting sun casts its lingering rays horizontally, it tinges the forest crest with red. Meanwhile, the snow that earlier “floated above the clouds” is also illuminated by the lingering glow, contrasting with the bright forest crest and enriching the scene with vivid colors and layered depth.
The Zhongnan Mountain lies about sixty li south of Chang’an city. On ordinary days, when viewed from the city, the mountains are often obscured by overcast haze, making them difficult to see clearly. Even on sunny days, they are frequently shrouded in mist, hiding their full appearance. Only during the special moment after a snowfall does the true face of the Zhongnan Mountain (Southern Mountains) reveal itself clearly to the observer.
Leave a Reply