Translation of "Painting": From a distance, the mountains are brightly colored, but when you get closer, you can't hear the sound of water flowing. Spring has passed, and the flowers are still in full bloom. People come closer, but the birds are still not disturbed.

Original text of "Painting"

Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty

From a distance, the mountains are colored, but up close, the water is silent.

Spring has gone, the flowers are still there, and the birds are not surprised when people come.

Appreciation

This poem praises a painting through the description of natural scenery. The first two lines of the poem describe its clear mountains and silent flowing water; the last two lines describe its flowers blooming in all four seasons and the birds not afraid of people. Four lines of poetry constitute a complete picture of landscapes, flowers and birds. The contrasts in the whole poem are neat, especially the use of multiple sets of antonyms in the poem, which makes the rhythm clear, distinct, full of charm, and catchy to read. When reading the whole poem, it seems that the lines violate the laws of nature. In fact, it is secretly setting up riddles and describing the characteristics of the painting.

About the author

Wang Wei is called the "Buddha of Poetry" by the world. Su Shi once praised him for "the poetry of Wei Mojie, and there are paintings in the poetry." "Looking at Mojie's paintings, there are poems in the paintings." Wang Wei, also known as Mojie, was a famous poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. He was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, etc. He was famous for his poems in Kaiyuan and Tianbao, especially in the five-year period. In his words, he often sang about landscapes and pastoral areas, and his representative works include "Mountain Dwelling in the Twilight of Autumn", "Reminiscences of Shandong Brothers on September 9th", "Birds Singing in the Stream", etc.