— by Li Daoyuan (Northern and Southern Dynasties)
For seven hundred li through the Three Gorges, towering mountains line both banks without a single gap. Layer upon layer of cliffs and peaks shut out the sky and hide the sun. Only at high noon or midnight can one glimpse the sun or moon.
In summer, when floodwaters surge over the hills, all upstream and downstream travel is blocked. Yet when an imperial decree demands urgent delivery, a boat may depart Baidi in the morning and reach Jiangling by nightfall – covering twelve hundred li. Even riding a galloping horse or harnessing the wind would not be faster.
In spring and winter, white rapids swirl above emerald pools, their clear waters reflecting the surrounding heights. On sheer cliffs grow strange and ancient cypresses; hanging streams and waterfalls plunge through the gorges, washing the rocks in sprays of crystal. The scenery – fresh, lush, steep, and dense – is rich with quiet delight.
On crisp mornings after frost, the forests are cold and the ravines hushed. Often, high up, apes let out long, mournful cries that echo eerily through the empty valleys, their sorrowful notes lingering before fading away. Hence, fishermen sing:
“Of the Three Gorges in Badong, Wu Gorge is longest;
Three calls of the ape – and tears soak your robe.”
《三峡》南北朝·郦道元
自三峡七百里中，两岸连山，略无阙处。重岩叠嶂，隐天蔽日。自非亭午夜分，不见曦月。 至于夏水襄陵，沿溯阻绝。或王命急宣，有时朝发白帝，暮到江陵，其间千二百里，虽乘奔御风，不以疾也。 春冬之时，则素湍绿潭，回清倒影。绝巘多生怪柏，悬泉瀑布，飞漱其间，清荣峻茂，良多趣味。 每至晴初霜旦，林寒涧肃，常有高猿长啸，属引凄异，空谷传响，哀转久绝。故渔者歌曰：“巴东三峡巫峡长，猿鸣三声泪沾裳。”
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