Poetic Yunnan 6: Three poems on Major Sinkhole

जन आस्था

जेठ १३, २०८१

Nature never fails to amaze us with its fascinating phenomenon like sinkholes. And the spectacular karst sinkholes in Wude town of Zhenxiong county, northeast Yunnan’s Zhaotong city, are a typical case in point.

The pit-holes resemble 锅圈/guoquan, a traditional household ring used to sit a wok. The top three holes are thus locally named as Daguoquan/Major Wok-ring, Xiaoguoquan/Minor Wok-ring and Sanguoquan/Third Wok-ring. Our focus today is the Major Sinkhole.

An overview of the Major Sinkhole in northeast Yunnan’s Zhenxiong county

I
fǎng zhèn xióng wǔ dé tiān kēng dà guō quān

访镇雄五德天坑大锅圈
chén shào yú

陈绍余

chán yán bǎi zhàng ruò wéi píng
巉岩百丈若围屏，
jī quǎn tián yuán gòng yàn níng
鸡犬田园共晏宁。
yù kòu cūn fēi xún dié lǎo
欲扣村扉询耋老，
dāng nián xiá kè kě céng jīng
当年霞客可曾经?

A view of the stone dwellings in the Major Sinkhole. Photo/China Daily

A Visit to the Major Sinkhole in Zhenxiong
By Chen Shaoyu

Precipitous peaks stand like a ring screen;
Pastoral chicks and dogs live a life serene.
I’d knock at the door to ask a senior
If Xu Xiake visited the area that year.

Culture ABCs:
a.The Chinese version of poems I and II are taken from page 158 of the book Travel in Mt. Wumeng -- A Selection of the Poems and Lyrics on Zhangtong Scenic Areas, and the writer Chen Shaoyu (1955- ) is native to Zhenxiong county, who used to serve as executive vice chairman of the Zhaotong Municipal People's Congress.

b. 霞客/xiá kè in Line 4, with his full name being Xu Xiake, is a famous traveler and geographer in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Xu traveled in Yunnan for more than 630 days, covering 50 counties in 10 prefectures and cities today. His travel notes concerning the province added up to 250,000 Chinese characters, accounting for 40 percent of Xu Xiake's Travel Notes.

A view of the Major Sinkhole in northeast Yunnan’s Zhenxiong county

II
fǎng zhèn xióng wǔ dé tiān kēng dà guō quān
访镇雄五德天坑大锅圈
chén shào yú
陈绍余

huán wéi jué bì shì lín xún
圜围绝壁势嶙峋，
shí wū cáng shēn yuǎn shì chén
石屋藏深远市尘。
wēng ǎo chú yún quǎn xiāng bàn
翁媪锄耘犬相伴，
huǎng rán ruò jiàn gě tiān mín
恍然若见葛天民。

A senior villager sits outside a stone dwelling in the Major Sinkhole. Photo/China Daily

A Visit to the Major Sinkhole in Zhenxiong
By Chen Shaoyu

Ring-shaped cliffs have an air of ruggedness;
Stone dwellings hide deep from urban dustiness.
A senile couple hoe-weed with a dog nearby;
It seems I met Ge Tianmin in spirits high.

Culture ABCs:
a.葛天民/gě tiān mín in Line 4 was a Chinese poet in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Native to east China’s Zhejiang province, Ge once separated himself from the outside world and become a monk, but he later resumed a secular life, living at the West Lake.

A view of the karst cave in the Major Sinkhole

III
wǎn chūn yóu wǔ dé tiān kēng
晚春游五德天坑
wáng shì xué
王世学

huán hé jué bì dà guō quān
环合绝壁大锅圈，
dié cuì niǎo míng yún wù jiān
叠翠鸟鸣云雾间。
gū mò jìn tóu xiàn zhōng rǔ
孤陌尽头见钟乳，
gǔ bāng zì shǐ yǐn táo yuán
古邦自始隐桃源。

A view of the karst cave in the Major Sinkhole

Visiting Wude Sinkholes in Late Spring
By Wang Shixue

Steep cliffs loop into the Major Wok-ring;
Amid clouds, green tiers grow and birds sing.
Stalactite stones show up at only path’s end;
The ancient polis hides utopia since the onset.

Culture ABCs:
a.古邦/ancient polis in Line 4 implies the nickname of Zhenxiong county: 大雄古邦/dà xióng gǔ bāng, or a magnificent ancient polis; while桃源, literally the Land of Peach Blossoms, is an allusion in Chinese literature. It refers to a fictitious place of peace and happiness.