Original text:
Back to my home in Songshan
Tang Dynasty: Wang Wei
The clear river flows slowly through the bushes like my chariot.
I became a traveling companion and went home with the birds at dusk.
An abandoned city wall is above an old ferry, and the autumn sunset drowns the peaks.
In a distant place, next to Songshan Mountain, I will close my door and get peace.
Translation:
The clear Sichuan water is surrounded by a piece of vegetation, and the horses are driving away slowly.
The running water seems to be full of affection for me, and the birds in the evening return with me.
The desolate city is close to the ancient ferry, and the afterglow of the sunset is full of golden autumn mountains.
At the foot of the distant and lofty Songshan Mountain, I closed the door and refused to spend my old age in the secular world.
Appreciation: the scenery and mood that the author of this poem saw on the way to resign and retire. Songshan Mountain, called "Zhongyue" in ancient times, is located in the north of Dengfeng County, Henan Province.
"The clear river flows slowly through the bushes like my chariot." The first couplet describes his seclusion and departure, with the word "return" deducted from the title. Clear rivers surround a grassy meadow, and the returning horses and chariots slowly move forward, looking so leisurely. The scenery and the dynamics of horses and chariots written here all reflect the poet's peaceful and leisurely state of mind when he returned to the mountains.
The middle four sentences further describe the scenery on the way to seclusion. The third sentence "Being a fellow traveler" inherits Qing Chuan, and the fourth sentence "Returning home late at night" inherits slender, which is directly developed from "Running slowly as my chariot". Empathy personifies "flowing water" and "yellow bird" here, as if they are also full of human feelings: the river is clear and gurgling, and the birds fly back to the lush forest in the evening, as if they are returning with the poet. On the surface, these two sentences are written about "water" and "bird", but in fact they are the author's own feelings: first, they reflect the carefree mood of the poet at the beginning of his return to the mountains, and second, they contain the author's sustenance. The phrase "flowing water" means that it will never return, indicating its firm seclusion attitude; The sentence "Twilight Birds" contains the meaning of "birds are tired of flying and know how to return", revealing that the reason for their retirement is disappointment and boredom with real politics. Therefore, this couplet is not a general description of the scene, but a feeling in the scene and a hint in the understanding.