A Boat in Spring on Jo-Ya Lake
- Poetry of Qiwu Qian

《春泛若耶溪》

English Rendering

Thoughtful elation has no end:

Onward I bear it to whatever come.

And my boat and I, before the evening breeze

Passing flowers, entering the lake,

Turn at nightfall toward the western valley,

Where I watch the south star over the mountain

And a mist that rises, hovering soft,

And the low moon slanting through the trees;

And I choose to put away from me every worldly matter

And only to be an old man with a fishing-pole. 

A Boat in Spring on Jo-Ya Lake by Qiwu Qian
A Boat in Spring on Jo-Ya Lake by Qiwu Qian

Original Text (中文原文)

幽意无断绝,此去随所偶。

晚风吹行舟,花路入溪口。

际夜转西壑,隔山望南斗。

潭烟飞溶溶,林月低向后。

生事且弥漫,愿为持竿叟。

Analysis & Context

This refined pastoral landscape poem was composed during Qiwu Qian's excursion to Ruoye Stream (located southeast of modern Shaoxing, Zhejiang), renowned since antiquity for its serene beauty. As a leading figure of the High Tang pastoral school, the poet masterfully blends natural observation with philosophical contemplation, expressing both his devotion to nature and yearning for reclusion.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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