Ferry at Triple Stream
- Poetry of Yang Wanli
The stream flows bridge-bound, never turning back,
A boat still drifts—pushed by a short pole's track.
If friendship were like this mountain ferry,
It would sail through gales or waves—never weary.
Composed between the second year of the Longxing era and the second year of the Qiandao era (1164–1166) of the Southern Song Dynasty. At this time, Yang Wanli had resigned from office due to his father’s illness and returned to Jishui. Shortly after, his father passed away, and he observed a three-year mourning period in accordance with ritual customs, finding himself in a low point of life. His official career, just begun, faced severe setbacks, casting shadows over his future; compounded by the pain of losing his father, his state of mind was inevitably sorrowful. Against this backdrop, Yang composed this poem in his hometown, blending parting sorrow with steadfast devotion to enduring friendship.
溪水将桥不复回，小舟犹倚短篙开。
交情得似山溪渡，不管风波去又来。
- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.
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