At Nanjing Ferry

A Night at the Ferry: Zhang Hu's Quiet View of the River

A Small Tower, a Heavy Heart

Zhang Hu's Ti Jinling Du (题金陵渡) is a seven-character quatrain (jueju) written during the poet's wanderings through the Jiangnan region. The poem opens with a plain statement of place and feeling: Jin ling jin du xiao shan lou, yi xiu xing ren zi ke chou. (金陵津渡小山楼，一宿行人自可愁。) At the Jinling Ferry, in a small tower by the hill, the poet spends one night. The word "xing ren" (行人) means traveller—someone passing through, not at home. The word "ke" (可) means "naturally" or "of course." Of course he feels sorrow. It is the quiet, expected sadness of a man who sleeps in a different bed every few nights.

The Moon Slants Over the Falling Tide

Then the poet looks out the window, and the poem becomes a painting: Chao luo ye jiang xie yue li, liang san xing huo shi gua zhou. (潮落夜江斜月里，两三星火是瓜州。) The tide has fallen; the night river lies low and still. A slanted moon hangs in the sky, throwing a pale light across the water. And far across the river, two or three points of light flicker like stars. That is Guazhou. The word "xing huo" (星火) means star-fire—tiny, distant, and cold. The poet does not describe a grand city. He sees only two or three lights, and from that, he knows a whole town is there, asleep behind the dark.

The Space Between Two Shores

The poem is famous for its quietness. There is no wind, no voice, no movement except the slow falling of water. The moon is "xie" (斜)—slanted, leaning, almost ready to set. The night is half-over, and the traveller is still awake. The two or three lights of Guazhou are close enough to see, but far enough to remind him that he is alone on the wrong side of the river. The poem does not explain why he is sad. It simply shows us the view from his window: a falling tide, a tired moon, and a few distant sparks that tell him other people are sleeping while he cannot.