Translation:
The ancients will not be seen before, and the newcomers will not be seen after.
You can’t see the wise kings of the past looking forward, and you can’t see the wise rulers of today looking back.
Thinking of the beauty of heaven and earth, I shed tears with sadness.
When I think of the endless world, I feel desolate and cry alone.
Notes:
Youzhou Terrace:?
It is the Golden Terrace, also known as Jibei Tower. The predecessors noted that it is also called Jiqiu and Yan Terrace. The former site is in the southwest of today's Beijing. It was built by King Zhao of Yan to recruit wise men from all over the world.
Before:?
Past.
Ancient people:?
Refers to those saintly kings in ancient times who were able to treat virtuous and virtuous subordinates.
After:?
The future.
Comer:?
Refers to those wise monarchs in later generations who value talents.
Thought:?
I thought of it.
Youyou:?
Describes the long time and the vastness of space.
Sadness:?
Sad look.
Tie:?
In ancient times, it meant tears.
Creative background:
This poem is dated to the first year of Wu Zetian’s divine power (697). Chen Ziang was a scholar with political insight and talent. He was outspoken and dared to admonish, and often made critical comments on many bad policies of the Empress Wu Dynasty, but Wu Zetian did not accept them. He was once imprisoned for being "against the party".
His political ambitions could not be realized, but were hit instead, which made him feel very depressed. In the first year of Long Live Tongtian (696), Khitan Li Jinzhong, Sun Wanrong and others captured Yingzhou. Wu Zetian appointed Wu Youyi to lead the army on the expedition, and Chen Ziang served as a staff officer in Wu Youyi's shogunate and accompanied the army on the expedition.
Wu Youyi is rash and lacks strategy. The army was defeated the following year and the situation was urgent. Chen Ziang requested to send ten thousand people as vanguard to attack the enemy, but Wu refused. Later, Chen Ziang asked Wu Jin again, but he refused to listen and demoted him to sergeant. The poet suffered setbacks one after another and saw that his ambition to serve the country had come to nothing. Therefore, he climbed to Youzhou Terrace, sang generously and sadly, and wrote poems such as "Song of Climbing Youzhou Terrace" and "Seven Poems from Jiqiu Viewing the Ancients and Presenting them to Master Lu for Collection".
Lu Zang said in "The Biography of the Chen Family": "Zi Ang was weak and sick, but he was inspired by loyalty and wanted to work hard to answer the questions of the country. Since he was an official, he was a close servant and participated in military affairs, so he could not be seen. He was in danger and kept his appearance. The next day he came to remonstrate, and Jian'an refused, so he was appointed as a military officer. Because he was silent, he was also in charge of the Jibei tower. That is, Youzhou Terrace), feeling the events of Lesheng and Yanzhao in the past, he wrote several poems, but he sang with tears in his eyes and said: "I will never see the ancients before me, and I will never see those who come after me."
Thinking about the long journey of heaven and earth, I burst into tears with sadness!