《江雪》

《江雪》
                                  柳宗元

千山鸟飞绝，万径人踪灭。
孤舟蓑笠翁，独钓寒江雪。


【Translation to the Poem】

A thousand mountains without a bird.

Ten thousand miles with no trace of man.

A boat. An old man in a straw raincoat,

Alone in the snow, fishing in the freezing river.

(Kenneth Rexroth, trans.)

【Annotation】

千：qiān, thousand
山: shān, hill, or mountain
鸟: niǎo, bird
飞: fēi, to fly
绝: jué, extinction
万:wàn, tens of thousands of
径: jìng, footpath
人: rén, people
踪: zōng, track
灭: miè, to extinguish 
【Introduction to the Poet】

Liu Zongyuan (773 - 819), who styled himself as Zihou, was a native of Xiezhou, Hedong (today's Yongji), Shanxi. A well-known statesman and writer in the Tang dynasty, Liu took part in the "Yongzhen Reform" in his youth. He wrote the "Eight Pieces from Yongzhou Prefecture", which were recognized as the most sensuous, lyrical travelogue.

In 805 he fell from favor and was demoted to the rank of governor of Liuzhou (Guangxi Province) Prefecture. In the last four years preceding his death, he had done so many beneficial things for Liuzhou that he was subsequently remembered by local people as Liuzhou Liu. And along with Han Yu, he was traditionally classed as one of the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song".