Qi Wuqian
Qi Wuqian (about 692-749), courtesy name Jitong, was born in Nankang, Jiangxi. When he was fifteen years old, he traveled to Chang'an to study and interacted with many famous poets at that time, and gradually became famous. He successively served as the lieutenant of Yishou County and Youshiyi. He was admitted to Jixian Academy to be appointed as the school secretary. In the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan (733), he resigned and returned to his hometown. Later, he was reinstated as a scholar. After the Anshi Rebellion, he returned to seclusion again, but did not return to his hometown. He still traveled around the Jianghuai River and his final destination was unknown. The language of his poems is simple and plain, and most of his works are about seeking secluded places and visiting hidden places.
Spring blooms like a river
Original text
There is no end to the tranquility, and I will go as I please ①. The evening breeze blows on the boat, and the flower path enters the mouth of the stream. At night, I turned to the west ravine and looked across the mountain to the south. The smoke in the pool is flying and melting, and the forest moon is low and backward. When things happen and spread, I would like to be the old man holding the pole.
Notes
①Even: Pass "Yu".
Translation
My interest in searching for secluded places never ceases. Here I let the boat drift freely. The evening breeze blew the boat briskly, and the flowers went all the way to the mouth of the stream. At night, we turn around the Xishan Valley and look up at the Nandou in the sky from across the mountain. Thick smoke and fog flew up from the pond, and the moon in the forest floated backwards. The road of life is uncertain, so I would like to be an old man fishing by the stream.
Appreciation
This poem was probably written before and after the poet retired to seclusion. The Ruoye River in the southeast of Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province is as beautiful as a picture. It is said that this is the place where Xishi came to wash her yarn. Walking up the stream under the moonlight in a quiet night is a unique and elegant experience.
The word "youyi" at the beginning of the article reveals the theme of the whole poem. Living in seclusion and not caring about worldly affairs, the leisurely and contented mood will not be "cut off". Therefore, this trip was just casual and not deliberate, which also showed a calm mood.
The next six lines of the poem explain the process of rafting and focus on depicting the scenery. The evening breeze blew the boat slowly, and it slowly sailed into the mouth of the stream full of spring flowers. It was so quiet and leisurely. The word "late" tells the time of boating, while the word "flower" fits the "spring" of the title. It seems to be picked at random, but in fact it has good intentions. "Turn to the west ravine at night, look across the mountain to the south", which expresses the change of time and place. "Jiye" indicates the length of the cruise. "West Ravine" is another place visited by the boat. When you are in it and forget about the things outside you, you look up at the stars in the sky and realize that you are already "separated by the mountains" without even realizing it. "The smoke in the pool is flying and melting, and the forest moon is low and backward" is a description of the scenery. The dazzling color of the water, the confusion of the mist, and the pouring moonlight are all vividly displayed by the word "fly". The boat was moving forward slowly, and the moonlight mixed with the trees on the shore receded behind me. The scenery was beautiful, quiet, and refreshing.
The last two sentences of the poem are the main theme of the poem, indicating the poet's state of mind. The emotions are expressed very naturally. From the confused night scene, I think of the emptiness of life, and further pursue the "secret" life. I would rather live a free and leisure life forever like a hermit fishing by the stream, without caring about worldly affairs.