Tang Dynasty
逢雪宿芙蓉山主人
刘长卿
日暮苍山远，
天寒白屋贫。
柴门闻犬吠，
风雪夜归人。
Translation
At dusk, the dark-blue mountains seem far away. In the cold, the plain white cottage looks poor and bare. By the brushwood gate, a dog begins to bark; in the wind and snow, someone returns at night.
Analysis
Liu Changqing’s quatrain is a masterclass in compression. The first two lines create a cold, distant landscape: dusk, blue-gray mountains, winter air, and a poor white cottage. The traveler’s loneliness is implied rather than stated. The second half shifts from sight to sound. A dog barks at the brushwood gate, and the stillness is broken by a human presence. The final line, “in the wind and snow, someone returns at night,” leaves the identity of the returning figure open. That openness gives the poem its resonance. With only four lines, it creates a complete scene of hardship, shelter, and quiet warmth.
About the Author
Liu Changqing was a Tang dynasty poet whose courtesy name was Wenfang. His official career was troubled, and he experienced repeated demotion. His poetry often turns to travel, parting, landscape, and quiet melancholy. He was especially admired for five-character verse and was later called a “Great Wall of five-character poetry.” “Lodging at Mount Furong in the Snow” shows his gift for spare language and distant, emotionally suggestive scenery.