至小丘西小石潭記
The Little Rock Pool West of the Knoll
Liu Zongyuan 柳宗元 (773–819)
Sui–Tang · c. 809

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-009207 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/009207
Rights: Tang dynasty prose; the author died in 819. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/至小丘西小石潭記 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/liu-zongyuan-little-rock-pool

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從小丘西行百二十步，隔篁竹，聞水聲，如鳴珮環，心樂之。伐竹取道，下見小潭，水尤清洌。全石以為底，近岸，卷石底以出，為坻，為嶼，為嵁，為巖。青樹翠蔓，蒙絡搖綴，參差披拂。

潭中魚可百許頭，皆若空游無所依。日光下澈，影布石上，佁然不動；俶爾遠逝，往來翕忽，似與游者相樂。

潭西南而望，斗折蛇行，明滅可見。其岸勢犬牙差互，不可知其源。

坐潭上，四面竹樹環合，寂寥無人，淒神寒骨，悄愴幽邃。以其境過清，不可久居，乃記之而去。

同游者：吳武陵，龔古，余弟宗玄。隸而從者，崔氏二小生：曰恕己，曰奉壹。

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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，水尤清洌。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。

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English translation by Claude (an AI)

A hundred and twenty paces west of the little knoll, through a screen of bamboo, I heard the sound of water, like the chime of jade pendants at a belt, and my heart was glad of it. We cut a way through the bamboo and saw below us a little pool, its water especially clear and cold. Its bed is one whole rock. Near the bank the rock curls up out of the bottom to make shoals and islets, crags and ledges. Green trees and emerald creepers cover it, tangle, sway and hang, uneven, trailing in the wind.

There may be a hundred fish in the pool, and they all seem to swim in empty air with nothing to hold them up. The sunlight strikes straight to the bottom, and their shadows lie spread on the stones, quite still; then all at once they dart far off, coming and going in a flash, as if they were sharing the visitors’ pleasure.

Looking south-west down the pool, the stream turns like the stars of the Dipper and winds like a snake, now bright, now hidden. Its banks are as jagged as a dog’s teeth, and no one can tell where it rises.

I sat by the pool. Bamboo and trees closed in on every side; it was silent, with no one about; a chill went into my spirit and my bones, quiet, deep and sorrowful. Because the place was too pure and cold to stay in for long, I wrote this down and went away.

Those who came with me were Wu Wuling, Gong Gu and my younger brother Zongxuan. Following as attendants were two young men of the Cui family, Shuji and Fengyi.