Classical Prose
小石潭记
柳宗元
从小丘西行百二十步，隔篁竹，闻水声，如鸣珮环，心乐之。
伐竹取道，下见小潭，水尤清冽。
全石以为底，近岸，卷石底以出，为坻，为屿，为嵁，为岩。
青树翠蔓，蒙络摇缀，参差披拂。
潭中鱼可百许头，皆若空游无所依。
日光下澈，影布石上。
佁然不动，俶尔远逝，往来翕忽。
似与游者相乐。
潭西南而望，斗折蛇行，明灭可见。
其岸势犬牙差互，不可知其源。
坐潭上，四面竹树环合，寂寥无人。
凄神寒骨，悄怆幽邃。
以其境过清，不可久居，乃记之而去。
同游者：吴武陵，龚古，余弟宗玄。
隶而从者，崔氏二小生：曰恕己，曰奉壹。
Translation
From the small hill I walked west for one hundred and twenty paces. Beyond a grove of bamboo, I heard the sound of water, like jade pendants and rings striking one another, and my heart delighted in it. We cut through the bamboo to make a path. Looking down, we saw a small pool, its water especially clear and cold. The whole bottom was made of stone. Near the bank, the stone floor curled upward and emerged from the water, forming little islets, rocks, rugged outcrops, and cliffs. Green trees and emerald vines covered, intertwined, swayed, hung down, and brushed one another in uneven layers. There were perhaps a hundred fish in the pool. All seemed to be swimming in empty air, with nothing supporting them. Sunlight shone straight down, and their shadows lay spread upon the stones. Some remained still and motionless; suddenly others darted far away, moving back and forth with quick, light speed. They seemed to be taking pleasure with the visitors. Looking southwest from the pool, the stream bent like the Dipper and wound like a snake, appearing and disappearing in places. The banks interlocked like dogs' teeth, and one could not know where the source was. Sitting by the pool, with bamboo and trees closing around on all sides, there was silence and no human presence. The place chilled the spirit and froze the bones; it was quiet, sorrowful, deep, and secluded. Because its atmosphere was too clear and cold, it was not possible to remain there long. So I recorded it and left. Those who traveled with me were Wu Wuling, Gong Gu, and my younger brother Zongxuan. The attendants who followed were two young men of the Cui family: Shuji and Fengyi.
Analysis
Record of the Little Stone Pool is the most famous of Liu Zongyuan's 'Eight Records of Yongzhou.' It begins as a discovery of hidden scenery, but gradually becomes a record of emotional isolation. The opening begins with sound — the writer hears water beyond bamboo, compared to jade pendants and rings striking one another. The pool is not easily accessible, requiring cutting through bamboo. Its stone bottom is hard, clear, and cold. The fish passage is one of the finest descriptions in classical Chinese prose: the water is so transparent that fish seem to swim in empty air. They are first still, then suddenly dart away, suggesting brief harmony between humans and nature. But the mood changes. Looking southwest, the stream bends like the Dipper and winds like a snake; the banks interlock like dogs' teeth. The landscape becomes intricate, obscure, unsettling. The final emotional turn is decisive: sitting by the pool, surrounded by bamboo, the silence 'chills the spirit and freezes the bones.' The phrase 'too clear' is the key — the pool's purity is emotionally severe. Liu Zongyuan was writing in exile after political failure. The lonely clarity of the landscape reflects his own condition. The piece is both landscape prose and psychological prose, letting water, stone, fish, bamboo, silence, and coldness reveal the author's inner state.
About the Author
Liu Zongyuan, courtesy name Zihou, was a Tang dynasty writer, thinker, and one of the 'Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song.' He was from Hedong and is often called Liu Hedong. After participating in the failed Yongzhen Reform, he was exiled to Yongzhou and later served as prefect of Liuzhou. Liu Zongyuan was a master of prose, especially landscape records, fables, and argumentative essays. During his years in Yongzhou, he wrote the 'Eight Records of Yongzhou,' in which cold, secluded landscapes often mirror his political frustration and loneliness. His representative works include 'Record of the Little Stone Pool,' 'The Snake Catcher's Story,' 'First Excursion to the Western Hill,' and 'The Donkey of Guizhou.'