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Zhào Jìng Jiàn Bái FàSeeing White Hair in the Mirror 照镜见白发
Zhang Jiuling meets his aging face in a mirror.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
宿昔青云志
sù xī qīng yún zhì
蹉跎白发年
cuō tuó bái fà nián
谁知明镜里
shuí zhī míng jìng lǐ
形影自相怜
xíng yǐng zì xiāng lián
Simplified characters; traditional title: 照鏡見白髮.
English translation
Once I held ambitions of the blue clouds;
The years slipped by; now my hair is white.
Who knew that in the bright mirror
Form and shadow would pity each other?
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The first couplet contrasts high ambition ("blue clouds," a lofty career) with wasted years. The second captures the moment of looking in the mirror: the man and his reflection feel sorry for each other. The image of self and shadow sharing pity makes loneliness and self-awareness strikingly concrete.
Background
Probably written after 737, when Zhang Jiuling was removed as chief minister and sent to the provinces.
Key words
- 青云志 qīng yún zhì
- lofty ambition
- 蹉跎 cuō tuó
- to let time slip away
- 形影 xíng yǐng
- body and shadow
About the poet: Zhang Jiuling
Zhang Jiuling was an upright chief minister under Emperor Xuanzong who warned against An Lushan. His poems are elegant and restrained.
Lifetime: 678–740. Other famous works: Seeing White Hair in the Mirror (照镜见白发); Gazing at the Moon, Longing for One Far Away (望月怀远).