The original text is as follows:

Wang Dongting? Don? Rachel?

The lake and the moon set each other off, and there is no wind mirror on the pool surface.

Looking at Dongting from a distance, there is a green snail in the silver plate.

The translation is as follows:

The wind and waves are calm, and the moonlight is mixed with water and color. The lake is like a bronze mirror that doesn't need polishing, smooth and bright.

Looking at Dongting from afar, the mountains are green and the water is green. The lush Dongting Mountain stands in the Dongting Lake with white light, just like a green snail in a silver plate.

Appreciation of poetry and prose:

This is a landscape poem written by the poet looking at Dongting Lake in the distance, which is clear and meaningful (four tones). The first sentence is about the blending of water, light and moonlight, which shows the breadth and distance of the lake. This should be the scene at dusk. It is not dark yet, but the moon has come out. If it is dark, you can't see the fusion of the two colors. The second sentence uses the metaphor of a mirror to show the calm of the lake at night, because the sun has set and the lake is not reflective, just like a mirror is dull without polishing. The third sentence is about the green of Junshan Mountain in Wangyuan Lake. The "landscape" here actually refers to the mountain, that is, Junshan in the lake. The usage of "scenery" belongs to the usage of "compound words with partial meanings" in ancient Chinese. The fourth sentence uses another metaphor, comparing Junshan floating in the water to a green snail on a silver plate. The whole poem is full of pure scenery, with detailed descriptions and vivid metaphors, which is very interesting to read.

About the author:

Liu Yuxi (772-842), Han nationality, was born in Pengcheng (now Xuzhou) in China in the Tang Dynasty. His ancestral home was Luoyang, a writer and philosopher in the Tang Dynasty. He claimed to be a descendant of the King of Mountain Scenery in Hanzhong. He used to be a supervisor and member of the Wang Reform School. A famous poet in the middle and late Tang Dynasty, he is known as the "great poet".