A bridge flies away through a wild mist, Yet here are the rocks and the fisherman's boat. Oh, if only this river of floating peach-petals Might lead me at last to the mythical cave!
Original Poem:
「桃花溪」
张旭
隐隐飞桥隔野烟，石矶西畔问渔船。
桃花尽日随流水，洞在清溪何处边。
Interpretation:
Through the description of the beautiful scenery of the Peach-blossom River and the questioning of the fisherman, this poem expresses the author’s feelings of yearning for the paradise and pursuing a better life.
Peach-blossom River is located at the bottom of Taoyuan Mountain in Taoyuan County, Hunan Province. There are many peach forests on the banks of the stream, and in the twilight of spring, the water of the stream is flowing with colorful flowers. It is said that Tao Yuanming’s “Peach-Blossom Source” in the Eastern Jin Dynasty is set here. Although Zhang Xu’s description of the Peach Blossom Stream does not necessarily refer to this place, it alludes to its context. The poem is well-conceived, far-reaching and picturesque.
The poet stands by the old rocky shore, looking at the endless flow of peach petals and fishing boats on the stream, and in a trance, he seems to take the fisherman in front of him as the Wuling fisherman who once entered the Peach Blossom Source, vaguely revealing the poet’s despair as he feels that the ideal realm is remote and hard to find. The poem ends abruptly here, but the questions raised in the last line give rise to all kinds of wonderful reveries. The poet’s brush is exquisite, from far to near, from real to imaginary, constantly changing angles to show the scenery; but not a cumbersome description, a few light strokes, slightly revealing the outline, love stored in the scene, the interest in the ink outside, like a painting, clear and subtle, intriguing.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
Zhang Xu (张旭 685? -759?) was a calligrapher and poet of the Tang Dynasty, known as the “Saint of Cursive” because of his attainments in cursive calligraphy, and also nicknamed “张颠”, which means ” Wild Zhang”, because he loved to drink too much and always wrote calligraphy with his head when he was drunk.
