水调歌头·题九马画山

沈家庄

一壁峥嵘异，

九马逐云天。

引来世上无数，

游客竞流连。

我问骁雄天马，

江畔何时欢会，

畅饮不思还？

掉头却无语，

傲若醉中仙。 

振鬣嘶，奋蹄舞，

上层峦。

恒心似铁，

坐化千古默参禅。

任尔风来八面，

最喜波临南北，

飘洒亦悠然。

明日腾空去，

蹄下可生烟。

（选自章雪芳主编《小楼听雨》2016-2020，广西师范大学出版社2021年12月第一版）

A Dedication to the Fresco Hill of Nine Horses

—To the Tune of Prelude to Water Melody

By  SHEN Jiazhuang

Tr. LI Xiaoli & LYU Wenpeng

One cliff stands eccentric in height; 

Nine steeds chase clouds gayly in flight. 

From each domain it draws countless souls; 

Travelers linger, lost in goals. 

With thrill I ask the magic steeds brave, 

When by the river they met to crave, 

Drank deep, and forgot homeward way. 

They turn their heads with naught to say, 

Proud as drunk immortals at play. 

Mane bristling, they neigh and hoof with might, 

And soar peaks in flight. 

With will like iron firm,

In Zen they sit silent till life's last term.

Let winds from all eight sides blow and veer;

They love when south and north waves draw near,

So free and graceful, without fear.

Tomorrow they'll soar to the sphere; 

Beneath their hooves, mist may appear. 

Note: Fresco Hill of Nine Horses, a renowned cliff on the Li River in Guangxi, China, named for the naturally formed rock patterns resembling nine horses in various postures. In this ci poem, the horses symbolize timeless spirit, caught between earthly presence and mythical transcendence.