I mourn the brief moment of my life, and envy the infinity of the Yangtze River.
Meaning: Lamenting that our life is only a short moment, we can’t help but envy the endlessness of the Yangtze River.
"Chibi Fu" is a poem written by Su Shi, a writer of the Northern Song Dynasty. An excerpt from the original text:
Fang Qi broke through Jingzhou, went down to Jiangling, followed the river eastward, and sailed for thousands of miles. Banners cover the sky, wine is poured by the river, and poems are written horizontally. You are a hero for a lifetime, how are you now?
Kuang Wu and his son, fishing and woodcutter, were on the river bank. They were friends with fish and shrimps and elk. They rode a small boat and raised their bows to show their friendship. Sending mayflies to heaven and earth is like a drop in the ocean. I mourn the brief moment of my life, and envy the boundlessness of the Yangtze River. Carrying the flying immortals to travel, holding the bright moon to the end. I don't know how unexpected it is, but I left it in the sad wind.
Translation:
When he captured Jingzhou, captured Jiangling, and sailed eastward along the Yangtze River, his warships stretched from end to end for thousands of miles, and their flags covered the sky. Dajiang poured wine, held a spear and recited poetry. He was originally a heroic figure in the world, but where is he now?
Not to mention that you and I fished and chopped firewood on a small islet in the middle of the river, with fish and shrimp as companions and elk as friends. We drove this small boat on the river, raising our glasses to toast each other, just like A mayfly is placed in the vast world, as small as a grain of corn in the vast sea.
Alas, we lament that our life is only a short moment, and we can't help but envy the endlessness of the Yangtze River. I want to travel around the world hand in hand with the immortals, embrace the bright moon and live forever in the world. Knowing that these cannot be realized in the end, I have no choice but to turn my regrets into flute sounds and entrust them to the sad autumn wind.
Extended information
Creative background:
"Chibi Fu" was written when Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou (today's Huanggang, Hubei) due to the "Wutai Poetry Case" . In the fifth year of Yuanfeng, Su Shi traveled to Red Cliff twice on July 16 and October 15, and wrote two poems on Red Cliff. Later generations called the first "Chibi Ode" and the second It is "Hou Chibi Fu".
Purpose of the article:
This poem describes what the author and his friends saw and felt while boating on a moonlit night in Red Cliff. It takes the author’s subjective feelings as clues and expresses them through the form of question and answer. A kind of nihilistic thought and negative outlook on life, this is one aspect of Su Shi's thoughts that he revealed through his guests. At the same time, it reflects the author's comfort from boating on a moonlit night, to the sadness of remembering the past and regretting the present, and then to the optimism of spiritual liberation.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Chibi Fu