The sun has set in the water's clear void,
And little blue islands are one with the sky.
On the bank a horse neighs. A boat goes by.
People gather at a willow- clump and wait for the ferry.
Down by the sand-bushes sea-gulls are circling,
Over the wide river-lands flies an egret.
...Can you guess why I sail, like an ancient wise lover,
Through the misty Five Lakes, forgetting words?
Original Poem:
「利洲南渡」
温庭筠
澹然空水对斜晖， 曲岛苍茫接翠微。
波上马嘶看棹去， 柳边人歇待船归。
数丛沙草群鸥散， 万顷江田一鹭飞。
谁解乘舟寻范蠡？ 五湖烟水独忘机。
Interpretation:
This poem was made by Wen Tingyun when he traveled to Lizhou to cross the river.
The first couplet draws a river scene, but see the open and clear river surface, sparkling and moving, sunset a touch of reflection in the water, flickering; undulating and curved river island and the shore of the verdant mountains oblique sunshine shrouded, a pale. Because the poem is about crossing the river, the first line points out the place and time.
The first couplet immediately following the first line, the panoramic lens is narrowed down, focusing on the description of people and horses eager to cross the river; ferry is floating to the river, people ferry horse also ferry, the boat to the center, the horse lifted the mane long song, the sound seems to come from the waves; not ferry people rest on the bank under the shade of the willows, waiting for the ferry to return from the other side.
Then write across the river, the boat over the beach, scattered flocks of gulls and herons in the grass; looking back at the shore, the river fields, an egret flying freely. This couplet utilizes a clever combination of quantitative words, which not only provides a neat counterpoint, but also provides a profound poetic context. The gulls are perched on the grass, and it can be seen that the birds are returning to their nests at night, so only one egret is flying above the ten thousand hectares of river fields.
Being in such a quiet and full of vitality of the environment, long trapped travel, tired of running the poet can not help but touch the scene of sadness, so the last line can not help but give birth to the desire to act as Fan Li to retreat, let go of the rivers and lakes of the feelings.
The poet failed to pass the imperial examination, the career is disappointing to see, the poet is forced to be helpless because of the disillusionment and despondency.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Wen Ting-yun (温庭筠) was a native of Qixian County, Shanxi, circa 813-870 AD. Wen Tingyun was a professional writer of late Tang Dynasty lyrics, whose achievements and influence were greater than that of poetry, and was once known as the “originator of the flowers”.
