taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
desolate scene as far as the eye can see; all nature bleak and forlorn
A literary yojijukugo describing a landscape that is utterly barren and melancholy in every direction. Often used in poetic or formal descriptions.
冬の荒野は満目蕭条たる景色だった。
The winter wilderness was a scene of utter desolation as far as the eye could see.
戦後の町は満目蕭条として、人影もまばらだった。
The postwar town was bleak and forlorn, with hardly a soul in sight.
荒涼 is a more common word for 'desolate' or 'bleak', used in everyday descriptions, while 満目蕭条 is a rare, literary yojijukugo emphasizing the vastness of the desolation.
A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, combining 満目 (everywhere the eye can see) and 蕭条 (desolate, bleak). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is used in classical and literary Japanese to evoke a scene of complete desolation.