Yuan Dynasty
寿阳曲·远浦帆归
马致远
夕阳下，
酒旆闲，
两三航未曾着岸。
落花水香茅舍晚，
断桥头卖鱼人散。
Translation
The sun sets; the wine-shop banner hangs at ease. Two or three boats have not yet reached the shore. Fallen blossoms scent the water, and cottages darken in the evening. At the broken bridge, the fish sellers have already gone.
Analysis
“Returning Sails at a Distant Shore” is a miniature landscape of evening calm. The song does not state emotion directly; instead, it lets atmosphere carry feeling. The setting sun and the idle wine-shop banner slow the rhythm from the beginning. A few boats are still approaching shore, creating movement without urgency. “Fallen blossoms scent the water” is the most delicate image, joining natural beauty with village life. The final line shows the fish sellers already gone from the broken bridge. What remains is not emptiness alone, but a quiet afterlife of daily labor. The poem’s restraint is its strength.
About the Author
Ma Zhiyuan was a major Yuan-dynasty dramatist and sanqu writer, admired for his concise, evocative landscapes and his subtle rendering of travel, withdrawal, and melancholy.