<Header>
<Author: 柳宗元>
<Title: 登柳州城樓寄漳汀封連四州刺史>
<Format: 七律>
<Year: 2009>
<BookName: Three Hundred TANG POEMS>
<Translator: Harris, Peter>
<TranslatedTitle: Climbing the tower on the Liuzhou city wall – sent to the prefects of Zhangzhou, Dingzhou, Fengzhou and Lianzhou>
<BookPage: 184>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 0>
<End Header>
<Poem>
城上高樓接大荒，
海天愁思正茫茫。
驚風亂颭芙蓉水，
密雨斜侵薜荔牆。
嶺樹重遮千里目，
江流曲似九迴腸。
共來百越文身地，
猶自音書滯一鄉。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
The high tower on the city wall abuts on to a great wilderness –
So vast and vague, as I reflect with sadness on sea and sky.
A fierce wind brings turbulence to lotus-laden waters
And a fine and slanting rain falls hard on fig-covered walls.
For hundreds of miles the view is obscured by wooded mountain ranges
And the course of the river twists and turns like entrails in folds.
All of us have come to Yue with its dozens of tattooed tribes
As if to a region quite blocked off from outside letters and news.
<End Translation>