薛涛诗

Poems of Xue Tao


Index

送扶炼师

Sending Help to a Daoist Master


锦浦归舟巫峡云
绿波迢递雨纷纷
山阴妙术人传久
也说将鹅与右军

Verdant bank, boat returns, Wizard Gorge traveller.
Green waves into the distance. Hard rain unceasing.
In mountain shadow, mystic arts, transmitted as of old.
Men speak of turning into geese to aid imperial armies.

-- 薛涛


废话

I suspect that this poem is part of Wei Gao's looking for political or military assistance from the Daoist monks in his district. A bit of sugar, perhaps, to make the medicine go down. He might be seeking auxilliary troops or for the monks to close their passes. Or for them to at least remain neutral in some rebellion.

It is interesting to me that after a few hundred Tang poems, the only gorge of the Three Gorges to appear is always Wizard Gorge (巫峡), the central one. Perhaps it is because only in the middle of them do you get the full effect of their presence.


Index