Slideshow  Timeline  Timemap  Text Mode  Comments (0)

River Snow

Liu Zongyuan  773-819 Not a single bird visible in hundreds of mountain, nor any footprints discernable on thousands of trails, only a solitary boat, a bamboo-apped-and-clad old man alone, fishing... the snow in the cold river.

Jiāng Xuě

Liǔ Zōngyuán 773-819 Qiān shān niǎo fēi jué, Wàn jìng rén zōng miè. Gū zhōu suō lì wēng, Dú diào hán jiāng xuě.

Translator:

Qiu Xiaolong 裘小龍

Notes: "Sucha lonely world, and such a solitary man, Chen contemplated. The image of the bamboo clothing added to the chilliness of the scene. Chen was struck by the ambiguity of the last few lines...not necessarily angling for fish, nothing but the snow in the cold river. Perhaps more of a gesture." From Qiu Xiaolong's latest detective novel, A Case Of Two Cities, 2006, St. Martin's Press.

Related Items: