Chuan: River, here refers to waterfalls. Hang: hang.
Wanglushan Waterfall
Tang Dynasty: Li Bai
The sun shines on the incense burner and produces purple smoke, and you can see the waterfall hanging in front of the river in the distance.
Flying down three thousand feet, it is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen into the sky.
Translation
Purple haze rises from Xianglu Peak under the sunlight. From a distance, you can see the waterfall hanging like white silk in front of the mountain.
The plummeting waterfall on the high cliff seems to be thousands of feet long, making people feel as if the Milky Way is falling from the sky to the earth.
Notes
Xianglu: refers to Xianglu Peak. Purple smoke: refers to the sunlight passing through the clouds and fog, which looks like purple smoke from a distance.
Looking from a distance. Hang: hang. Maekawa: One work is "Changchuan". Chuan: river, here refers to waterfall.
Straight: straight. Three thousand feet: describes the height of a mountain. This is an exaggeration, not a real reference.
Doubt: doubt. Milky Way: The ancients referred to the band of stars formed by the Milky Way. Jiutian: One work is "half a day".
Extended information:
Appreciation
The first two sentences of the poem are written from a broad perspective, summarizing the panoramic view: the top of the mountain is filled with purple smoke, and the mountains are white. Hanging, the rapids are rushing under the mountain, forming a gorgeous and magnificent picture.
The third sentence "Floating down three thousand feet" is a detailed description of the waterfall from close range. "Flying Flowing" represents the waterfall shooting out of the sky, gushing and falling. "Straight down" not only expresses the steepness of the rock wall, but also expresses the rapidity of the water flow. "Three thousand feet" is an exaggeration to describe the height of the mountain.
Writing this way, the poet felt that the majestic momentum of the waterfall had not been fully expressed, so he then wrote another sentence, "It is suspected that the Milky Way has fallen from the sky." It is said that this "flowing down" waterfall makes people suspect that the Milky Way is pouring down from the sky. The word "suspicious" is used in an ethereal and lively way, as if it is true or illusory, and attracts people's imagination, adding to the magical color of the waterfall.
This poem makes extremely successful use of metaphor, exaggeration and imagination, with a unique conception and vivid, concise and bright language. Su Dongpo admired this poem very much and said, "The emperor sent the emperor to the Milky Way, and in ancient times there were only poems to banish immortals." The "exiled immortal" is Li Bai. "Wanglu Mountain Waterfall" is indeed an example of describing scenery and expressing emotions through objects.