River Journey
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《江行》

English Rendering

We cross the Yangtze diagonally

heading for Wuchang city

passing Parrot Island where thousands of families live

in the early hours the painted barge

has a cargo of lovers and sleepers

and I dream I've become a butterfly

seeking the flowers too


Dim mist and we're already sailing

into Cormorant Harbor

I thought we were still in the middle

somewhere near Parrot Island

I went to bed drunk, lay awake

singing all kinds of nonsense

got up on the Hanjiang River side

stunned to be back on dry land.

River Journey by Yu Xuanji
River Journey by Yu Xuanji

Original Text (中文原文)

大江横抱武昌斜,鹦鹉洲前户万家。

画舸春眠朝未足,梦为蝴蝶也寻花。

烟花已入鸬鹚港,画舸犹沿鹦鹉洲。

醉卧醒吟都不觉,今朝惊在汉江头。

Analysis & Context

Seven-character poem

While she is probably on or near the Han River (汉江), which passes by Chang'an, she is hundreds of miles from its headwaters (汉江头) and mouth. Large rivers are used as symbols of the Milky Way, stars, remoteness. If she's on her own, she probably is on Cormorant Creek, as she says. Of course, the final line could be: "This morning, I am startled from my reverie to find myself drifting out onto Han River." In which case, no fear and no hints about her life.

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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