Fisherman Liu Zongyuan

The fisherman

Liu Zongyuan

The fisherman stayed near the west rock at night, and at dawn he drew clear Xiang and burned Chu bamboo.

When the cigarettes are sold out and no one is seen at sunrise, there is a sound of green mountains and rivers.

Looking back at the middle stream under the sky, the unintentional clouds are chasing each other on the rocks.

Explanation of the poem

The fisherman rested against the Western Mountain at night, drank the clear Xiang River in the morning, and used Chu bamboo as firewood for cooking. When the sun came out, the clouds and mist disappeared, and no one could be seen. The sound of shaking came from the green mountains and waters. Looking back, the fishing boat has drifted downwards on the horizon, and the white clouds on the mountains are floating freely, chasing each other.

Word explanation

Xiyan: Xishan, outside the Xiangjiang River in Lingling, Hunan today.

To draw water.

Xiang: Xiangjiang River.

Chu: Xishan belonged to Chu land in ancient times.

Pin: Dissipate.

Ye Nai: the sound of shaking oars. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a song "E Nai Qu" in Hunan.

Down the middle stream: going down from the middle stream.

Poem Appreciation

This poem was written in Yongzhou. While the author expresses his love for the landscape, he also briefly expresses his loneliness and anger of political frustration. Xiyan in the poem refers to the Western Mountains. The fisherman singing and walking alone among the green mountains and rivers has a somewhat self-contained meaning. It seems to be about the fisherman, but in fact it is about the poet himself. By describing the life of a fisherman, the poet expressed his aloof character and yearning for a leisurely life. The whole poem is vivid and real, blending scenes, interesting and meaningful. The word "strange and interesting" can summarize the main artistic features of the whole poem.