Ten long, long winters in northern town I did stay;
My heart cried out for my southern home night and day.
Now as I cross the river, farther north I roam;
My heart cries out for northern town as for my home.
Original Poem
「旅次朔方」
刘皂
客舍并州已十霜，归心日夜忆咸阳。
无端更渡桑干水，却望并州是故乡。
Interpretation
This poem by Tang Dynasty poet Liu Zao captures the complex emotions of a sojourner who, after ten years in Bingzhou, embarks on his journey home. While longing for his native Xianyang permeates the verses, his prolonged stay in Bingzhou has also fostered deep attachment to this adopted home. Standing by the Sanggan River, the poet articulates the poignant conflict between these dual allegiances.
First Couplet: "客舍并州已十霜，归心日夜忆咸阳。"
Kèshě Bīngzhōu yǐ shí shuāng, guīxīn rìyè yì Xiányáng.
Ten winters passed in Bingzhou's alien air; Day and night, my heart yearned for Xianyang's care.
These lines lay bare the poet's profound homesickness. The "ten winters" (十霜) measure exile in frost—each year marked by nature's cycles rather than human calendars. The couplet's parallel structure contrasts physical presence (in Bingzhou) with perpetual mental absence (in Xianyang), where "day and night" (日夜) underscores ceaseless longing.
Second Couplet: "无端更渡桑干水，却望并州是故乡。"
Wúduān gèng dù Sānggān shuǐ, què wàng Bīngzhōu shì gùxiāng.
Yet crossing Sanggan's waves once more by chance, I turn—and Bingzhou wears a homeland's glance.
Here, geography mirrors psychological ambiguity. The "aimless crossing" (无端更渡) suggests emotional drift, while the river becomes a symbolic threshold between identities. In a revelatory twist, the glance backward transforms the adopted land into a "homeland" (故乡)—not replacing Xianyang, but coexisting with it in the poet's heart. The water's flow embodies the fluidity of belonging itself.
Holistic Appreciation
The opening couplet portrays the poet's profound homesickness during his decade-long sojourn in Bingzhou, conveying intense and sincere emotion that underscores the weight of nostalgia. The latter couplet reveals the complexity of his feelings upon returning home—while longing for his native place, his ten years in Bingzhou have also left an indelible mark on his heart. The poem transitions from singular homesickness to a layered attachment to two "homelands," reflecting the accumulation of life experiences and emotions. This nuanced duality deepens the poem's resonance.
Artistic Merits
- Unadorned Language, Genuine Emotion: The poem speaks directly to the heart, eschewing embellishment to deliver raw feeling through simple yet potent language.
- Nuanced Depiction of Inner Conflict: It captures both yearning for home and fondness for the sojourning place, enriching the verse with layered meaning.
- Subtle Emotional Expression: Though never explicitly stated, the turn in phrases like "unexpectedly crossing again" and "yet gazing back at Bingzhou" naturally conveys the poet's melancholy and resignation.
Insights
The poem lays bare the emotional tug-of-war between native and adopted homes faced by wanderers. It reminds us that in pursuing dreams and belonging, people often develop unconscious attachments to their surroundings—a testament to life's depth and self-awareness. While steeped in sorrow, the poet's honesty helps us better understand the universal longing for home among those adrift.
Poem Translator
Xu Yuanchong (许渊冲)
About the Poet
Liu Zao (刘皂 c. 785–805), a Tang dynasty poet from Xianyang (modern-day Xianyang, Shaanxi), has five poems preserved in the Complete Tang Poems. His most famous work, Sojourning in Shuofang (also titled Crossing the Sanggan River), is renowned for its expression of homesickness, particularly the widely quoted line "yet gazing back at Bingzhou as homeland." His poetry, characterized by its melancholic tone, excels in the quatrain form.
