On the Lijiang near Yangshuo, Guangxi

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Sailor's Midnight Insomnia

Su Shi 1036-1101 Light breeze xiaoxiao         whistles in the wild rice, Open door find rain         moon fills the lake. Boatman and seagulls         share the same dream, Large fish surries off         like a startled fox. Night deep         no contact with other men, Only my shadow and me         amuse ourselves. River births a sandbank         where cold earthworms morn, Setting moon entangled in the willows         lights a hanging spider. This life         full of suffering and misery, Snuffed out in an instant. Cocks crow a bell sounds         a hundred birds scatter, On the prow I beat a drum         and hoot into the night.

Zhōuzhōng Yèqǐ

Sū Shì 1036-1101 Wēifēng xiāoxiāo chuī gūpú, Kāimén kàn yǔ yuè mǎn hú. Zhōurén shuǐniǎo liáng tóngmèng, Dà yú jīng cuàn rú bēn hú. Yèshēn rénwù bù xiāng guǎn, Wǒ dú xíngyǐng xiāng xī yú. Àncháo shēng zhǔ diào hán yǐn, Luòyuè guà liǔ kàn xuán zhū. Cǐshēng hūhū yōuhuàn lǐ, Qīng jìng guòyǎn néng xūyú. Jī wū zhōng dòng bǎiniǎo sàn, Chuántóu jīgǔ hái xiāng hū.

Translator:

Dongbo 東波

Notes: We believe this poem was written as Su was returning from his last exile on Hainan. He would have traveled up the rivers of Guangxi and Guangdong, crossed over the Meiguan on the border between Guangdong and Jinagxi, down the river to Poyang Lake and into the Changjiang by Jiujiang.

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