Song Dynasty
Song of Wandering · Passing Qili Shoal
Su Shi
一叶舟轻，双桨鸿惊。
水天清、影湛波平。
鱼翻藻鉴，鹭点烟汀。
过沙溪急，霜溪冷，月溪明。
重重似画，曲曲如屏。
算当年、虚老严陵。
君臣一梦，今古空名。
但远山长，云山乱，晓山青。
Translation
A single leaf-like boat glides lightly; two oars stir the water as if startling wild geese. Water and sky are clear; reflections lie deep, and the waves are calm. Fish turn beneath a mirror of waterweed; egrets dot the misty sandbanks. Past Sandy Creek, the current runs swift; past Frost Creek, the air is cold; past Moon Creek, the light is bright. Layer upon layer, the scenery is like a painting; curve after curve, the river bends like painted screens. Thinking back, Yan Ziling grew old here in vain — or so it seems. Lord and subject are but a dream; ancient and modern fame are empty names. Only the distant mountains endure, cloud-wrapped mountains gather in confusion, and the morning mountains remain blue.
Analysis
This lyric was written as Su Shi passed through Qili Shoal on the Fuchun River, a place closely associated with Yan Ziling, a famous Eastern Han recluse who refused office to fish by the river. The first stanza is a sequence of river scenes. The boat is light as a single leaf, the water and sky are clear. Fish turn beneath waterweed, egrets dot misty sandbanks. The line 'Past Sandy Creek... Past Frost Creek... Past Moon Creek' gives the poem motion, turning the journey into a series of passing sensations. The second stanza turns to historical reflection. Yan Ziling's reclusion is questioned not as a rejection of seclusion but as a broader uncertainty: is there any real meaning in either fame or withdrawal? 'Lord and subject are but a dream; ancient and modern fame are empty names' is the philosophical center. Human roles and reputations fade. What remains is not political rank or moral legend, but the mountains themselves — distant, clouded, morning-blue.
About the Author
Su Shi, courtesy name Zizhan and literary name Dongpo Jushi, was a major writer, statesman, calligrapher, painter, and poet of the Northern Song dynasty. Born in Meishan, Meizhou, he is one of the 'Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song.' Exiled multiple times, Su Shi never lost his expansive spirit and sharp perception. He greatly expanded the range of ci poetry, bringing into it history, philosophy, landscape, politics, farming, travel, humor, and daily life. 'Song of Wandering · Passing Qili Shoal' demonstrates his ability to blend natural scenery, historical allusion, and philosophical reflection into a single work.