The answers to the original text and translation of the excerpt from Baizhang Mountain are as follows:
Original text:
Climbing Baizhang Mountain for about three miles, you will see a ravine on your right and a steep cliff on your left , The stone is used as a barrier, and more than ten levels can be saved. The victory of the mountain begins from here.
Follow the ridge to the east and you will reach Xiaojian. A stone beam spans it. They are all green vines and ancient trees. Although the pavilion is not hot at noon in midsummer. The water is all clear, and the sound is splashing from the high gurgling water. Cross the stone beam and zigzag up the two cliffs to reach the mountain gate. There are three huts, which cannot accommodate ten people. The front overlooks the stream and the back faces the stone pool. The wind blows between the two gorges all day long.
There is a stone beam across the pond inside the gate. Turn to the north, climb the stone ladder, and enter the nunnery several steps. There are several old houses in the nunnery. They are humble and narrow, and there is no way to see them. Only the west pavilion is the winner. The water rushes out from the west valley through the stone rift, and the water from the south and east valley pours into the pool together.
Coming out of the pool is what was previously called a small stream. The pavilion is located on its upper stream, where the water and rocks collide with each other, which is the most interesting place to play. Behind the wall, nothing can be seen. Lying on it alone at night, under the pillow mat, gurgling all night long. Over time, it becomes sadder and more adorable.
Go out of the mountain gate and walk ten steps east to get to the stone platform. Going down to the steep shore, it's deep and dangerous. Looking southeast from the forest, I saw a waterfall gushing out from the cave in front of me and falling dozens of feet into the air. The foam is like a spray of loose beads, and the eyes are candle-lit. It is so bright that it cannot be looked at directly. Taidang Mountain is missing from the southwest, and in front of it is Yilu Mountain. A single peak stands out, and the peaks and ridges for hundreds of miles are all clearly visible.
As the sun sets over the western mountains, the remaining light shines across the sky, and the purple and green overlapping layers are countless. Once you get up and look down, you will see white clouds covering the river, like undulating sea waves. And those who come out of the mountains near and far are like flying floats coming and going. It may come or go, it may change in an instant. The path to the east of Taitung was cut off, and the villagers cut stones to cross it and built a shrine to the east to pray for floods and droughts. Those who are afraid of danger may not dare to take it. However, even if the mountains are impressive, they are still poor.
I traveled there with Liu Chongfu, Pingfu, Lu Shujing and cousin Xu Zhoubin. They all wrote poems to record their successes, and I also described them in detail. The most impressive ones are stone ridges, small streams, mountain gates, stone platforms, west pavilions and waterfalls. Because each of them wrote a short poem to identify his place, he presented it to all the fellow travellers. Also, he told his husband that he wanted to leave but could not.
Translation:
On the three-mile journey up Baizhang Mountain, looking down to the right, there is a deep and dangerous ravine. The left side of the road leans against a steep cliff, and the road surface is built up. It took more than a dozen stone steps to pass this dangerous area. The scenic beauty of Baizhang Mountain begins from now on.
Go east along the stone ridge and encounter a small stream. A stone bridge spans it. There are green vines and ancient trees on both sides. Even at noon in midsummer, there is no heat at all. The water in the stream is crystal clear and flows down from a high place, making a "splashing" sound.
After crossing the stone bridge, we climbed up along a zigzag path with cliffs on both sides, and came across the gate of a temple. There are three small houses, which cannot accommodate even ten people, but you can overlook the stream from the front. The back of the gate faces a stone pool, and the wind blows from the mountain gorges on both sides all day long. Inside the gate, there is another stone bridge spanning the stone pool.
After crossing the stone bridge, walk north, step on the stone stairs, and go up a few steps to reach the nunnery. There are only a few old houses in the nunnery. The houses are short and narrow, and there is nothing worth seeing. Only the West Pavilion is beautiful. The stream flows out from the west valley along the cracks from under the West Pavilion like arrows, and flows into the stone pool together with the water in the east valley to the south.
The water flows out from the stone pool, forming the small stream mentioned above. The West Pavilion is located upstream of it. It is most worth admiring where rapids and rocks collide. Behind it is a stone wall with nothing to see. A person lies in the west pavilion at night, and the sound of gurgling water can be heard under the pillow and mat all night long. The longer I listen to it, the sadder it becomes, but it's also very interesting.
After walking about ten steps east from the gate of the temple, you encountered a stone platform. Beneath the stone platform lies a steep cliff, which is deep, dark and extremely dangerous.
Looking southeast from the overgrown area, I saw a waterfall gushing out from the cave in front and falling from a height of dozens of feet. The splashing water looks like scattered pearls or spraying mist. When illuminated by the sun, it is so dazzling that you cannot look directly at it. The stone platform is in the gap in the southwest of the mountain. In front of it faces Lushan, and a particularly beautiful peak appears in front of you.
And the peaks and ridges of different heights hundreds of miles away are also clearly presented in front of you. The sun is approaching the western mountains, and the remaining light shines across, purple and emerald green overlapping each other, countless. When I got up in the morning and looked down the mountain, white clouds covered the plains, just like the waves of the sea.
And the peaks protruding from the clouds far and near are like coming and going, some are surging, some are sinking, and they are ever-changing in the blink of an eye. The path to the east of Shitai was cut off. The local people carved out some stone slabs that could only accommodate feet to pass through, and built a shrine to the east. They would go there to pray when there was flooding or drought.
Some people who are afraid of danger dare not go there. The scenery that can be viewed on the mountain is gone here.
I came here to visit with Liu Chongfu, Liu Pingfu, Lu Shujing and my cousin Xu Zhoubin. I have already written poems about the scenic spots on the mountain, and I will write them down in detail in this order. The most worth-seeing places on the mountain are stone ridges, small streams, temple gates, stone platforms, west pavilions and waterfalls.
So I wrote short poems to describe these places and presented them to the people who came to visit together.
Now I have written this travelogue again to tell those who want to visit but cannot.