① On the Stork Tower
by Wang Zhihuan
The sun beyond the mountain glows;
The Yellow River seawards _____▲______
You can enjoy a grander sight;
By climbing to a greater height.
(Translated by Xu Yuanchong)
②This poem is only 20 characters long, but its perfect mixture of beauty and philosophical (哲理 的 )thinking has made it a classic for centuries. The first two lines of the poem describe scenery, while the last two lines show the poet's feelings.
③Wang Zhihuan used clever wordplay to write this poem. The first and second lines match in terms of their sound and meaning, as do the third and fourth lines.
④The first line describes the setting sun in the west, while the second line describes the river flowing towards the east. Together, they make for a great view. The third and fourth lines point out the fact that the higher one stands, the farther one can see. This not only shows the poet's great aspirations, but also encourages people to keep moving ahead and not to let success or failure go to their heads.
⑤ Wang Zhihuan(688-742) was a Tang Dynasty poet. He was a brave man. He liked to travel across China, drinking and waving his sword around while singing. He was good at writing quatrains. Most of Wang's poems describe natural scenery and life in the frontier of his country. Wang was good friends with frontier poets GaoShi and Wang Changling.
