A Trip in the Mountains

Author: Du Mu (803—852)

A stone-paved path slants up to the chilly hilltop far away

Where white clouds gather, there are cottages along the way.

I have stopped my carriage to enjoy dusk in the maple forest.

Maple leaves outshine spring flowers in their crimson array.

Du was a Tang Dynasty writer who worked for numerous local governments and once for the federal government briefly. His writing was largely enriched by his various experiences in different places.

Unlike many ancient literati, the poet did not mourn or sigh at the arrival of autumn. Indeed, he sang praises of the beauty of nature’s autumn colors, thus showing his optimistic and positive spirit.

Copyright: A POETIC PORTAL TO CHINESE CULTURE, China Pictorial Press