登高
dēng gāo
Climbing High
杜甫 (Du Fu) · Tang Dynasty · 712–770
Original Text
风急天高猿啸哀，
fēng jí tiān gāo yuán xiào āi,
渚清沙白鸟飞回。
zhǔ qīng shā bái niǎo fēi huí.
无边落木萧萧下，
wú biān luò mù xiāo xiāo xià,
不尽长江滚滚来。
bú jìn cháng jiāng gǔn gǔn lái.
万里悲秋常作客，
wàn lǐ bēi qiū cháng zuò kè,
百年多病独登台。
bǎi nián duō bìng dú dēng tái.
艰难苦恨繁霜鬓，
jiān nán kǔ hèn fán shuāng bìn,
潦倒新停浊酒杯。
liáo dǎo xīn tíng zhuó jiǔ bēi.
English Translation
Fierce wind, high sky, monkeys howling in grief; clear islet, white sand, birds circling back. Boundless falling leaves rustle down; the endless Yangtze rolls and rolls onward. Ten thousand miles from home, forever a guest in sorrowful autumn; a hundred years of illness, I climb the terrace alone. Hardship and bitter regret have frosted my temples; worn down, I have newly given up my cup of cloudy wine.
Historical Background
Written in 767 AD in Kuizhou (modern Chongqing) during Du Fu's late years. The poet was old, sick, impoverished, and far from home. The Double Ninth Festival tradition called for climbing heights and drinking wine, but Du Fu was too ill to drink. This poem is widely considered the greatest regulated verse (律诗) ever written in Chinese.
Literary Analysis
Every couplet is masterfully crafted. The opening two lines present six images in rapid succession (wind, sky, monkeys, islet, sand, birds) that create an overwhelming sensory experience. Lines three and four achieve one of poetry's great panoramic effects: endless leaves falling and the infinite river flowing — both images of things passing beyond human control. The turn to the personal in lines five and six is devastating: a lifetime of wandering and illness, climbing alone. The final couplet's forced sobriety (even wine is denied him) makes the poem's sadness absolute.
Details
Form
Seven-character Regulated Verse (七言律诗)
Theme
Life & Philosophy
About Du Fu (杜甫)
Du Fu is revered as the "Poet-Sage" (诗圣) of China, regarded as the greatest realist poet in Chinese literary history. His work reflects deep compassion for human suffering and keen observation of the social turmoil of his era, particularly the devastating An Lushan Rebellion. His technical mastery is unmatched.
2 poems by Du Fu in our collection
Traditional Chinese
風急天高猿嘯哀，渚清沙白鳥飛回。無邊落木蕭蕭下，不盡長江滾滾來。萬里悲秋常作客，百年多病獨登臺。艱難苦恨繁霜鬢，潦倒新停濁酒杯。