A Boat in Spring on Jo-Ya Lake

Thoughtful elation has no end:
Onward I bear it to whatever come.
And my boat and I, before the evening breeze
Passing flowers, entering the lake,
Turn at nightfall toward the western valley,
Where I watch the south star over the mountain
And a mist that rises, hovering soft,
And the low moon slanting through the trees;
And I choose to put away from me every worldly matter
And only to be an old man with a fishing-pole. 

Original Poem:

「春泛若耶溪」
幽意无断绝，此去随所偶。
晚风吹行舟，花路入溪口。
际夜转西壑，隔山望南斗。
潭烟飞溶溶，林月低向后。
生事且弥漫，愿为持竿叟。

綦毋潜

Interpretation:

This is a beautiful idyllic landscape poem, which expresses the poet’s wish to live a quiet and comfortable life in seclusion by describing the quiet and pleasant scenery seen by the boat on a moonlit night. Qibu Qian was one of the representatives of the Sheng Tang school of idyllic landscape poetry. Pan, floating, canoeing. Ruoye Stream is located in the southeast of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. The whole poem is written according to the poet’s route of canoeing on Ruoye Stream, revealing his own feelings in writing the scenery, expressing his own will and interest in the poem.

This poem is written in a picturesque manner. With the passage of time and the traveling of the boat, the poet moves from step to step, showing us a beautiful picture. Because the poet is with the pursuit and appreciation of the mood to write this poem, so the night scene of Ruoye Stream in his pen seems to be secluded and not desolate, with a very simple natural beauty: the stream on the evening breeze, both sides of the trees, flowers; to the night is brilliant starlight, the moon is melting, the stars and moon reflecting in the water, but also the real and imaginary; water pools on the smoky and a hazy. Poet with a heart to find a secluded tour leisurely, was intoxicated by the quiet scenery, the mind to relax, comfortable and free, can not help but lament the past life is too tired, I hope to stay away from strife, in the secluded secluded life in the life of a lifetime.

About Author:

Qi Shaoqian, word Jitong, Jingnan people. In the 14th year of the new millennium, he took the rank of jinshi, and was appointed by Yishou to be a member of the Jixian system, moved to the right pickup, and ended up as a writer. He wrote one volume of poems.

Poem translator:

Kiang Kanghu