Song Dynasty
Silk-Washing Creek · Sightseers Chase the Painted Boat
Ouyang Xiu
堤上游人逐画船，拍堤春水四垂天。
绿杨楼外出秋千。
白发戴花君莫笑，六幺催拍盏频传。
人生何处似尊前。
Translation
On the embankment, sightseers follow the painted boats; spring water beats against the bank, and the wide lake seems joined on all sides to the hanging sky. Beyond the tower among green willows, a swing suddenly arcs into view. Do not laugh at this white-haired man wearing flowers; the tune 'Liu Yao' urges the beat, and wine cups are passed again and again. In all of life, where is there a place more delightful than before the wine cup?
Analysis
This lyric presents a lively spring outing on West Lake. Compared with Ouyang Xiu's quieter lake poems, this one is full of movement: tourists on the embankment, painted boats on the water, spring waves striking the bank, a swing appearing beyond green willows, music, wine, and laughter. The first line creates a moving composition. People walk along the embankment while the painted boats move on the lake. Land and water answer each other, making the whole scene feel animated. 'Spring water beats against the bank' adds sound and physical energy. 'The sky hangs down on all four sides' gives the lake a broad, open atmosphere. The line about the swing is especially vivid. The verb 'emerges' gives the image motion and surprise. The second stanza turns to the speaker. 'Do not laugh at this white-haired man wearing flowers' is both self-mockery and defiance. An old man wearing flowers might seem comic, but Ouyang Xiu refuses the idea that age should cut a person off from spring. The music 'Liu Yao' quickens the rhythm, and cups are passed frequently. The closing line, 'Where is there a place more delightful than before the wine cup?' expresses timely enjoyment. It is not crude indulgence. It is the clarity of an older man who knows that such moments of spring, music, friendship, and wine are brief and therefore worth cherishing.
About the Author
Ouyang Xiu, courtesy name Yongshu, literary name Zuiweng and later Liuyi Jushi, was a major writer, historian, and statesman of the Northern Song dynasty. Born in Yongfeng, Jizhou, he is one of the 'Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song' and a leading figure in the Northern Song classical prose movement. His prose is known for clarity and naturalness, while his ci poetry is graceful, fresh, and emotionally restrained. He often wrote of landscape outings, wine, music, aging, and the pleasures of leisure. In his later years, he especially loved Yingzhou West Lake and left a group of lyrics celebrating its scenery and social pleasures.