Inscribed at the Northern Post Station on Dayu Pass
In the tenth month, geese fly south;
They are said to turn back at this place.
My own journey is far from over;
When will I return again?
The river is still as the tide begins to fall;
The woods are dim beneath lingering mists.
Tomorrow, when I look toward home,
I may see plum blossoms on the ridge.
Notes
Dayu Pass lies near the present Jiangxi–Guangdong border. Yang month refers to the tenth lunar month. The mist is described using an older term for damp southern air. The geese turning back is a report within the poem, not a statement of natural law.
Meaning
While travelling, the speaker hears that southbound geese turn back here, but must continue onward, thinking of home amid the river, woods and plum blossoms.
Appreciation
The reported return of the geese contrasts with the speaker’s continuing journey.
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The direct question leaves the date of homecoming uncertain.
Tide and dim woods make the feeling of distance tangible.
The closing anticipates tomorrow’s view toward home, with plum blossoms on the ridge.
About the poet
Song Zhiwen (c. 656–c. 712), courtesy name Yanqing, was a Tang poet. Accounts differ on his dates, origins and the authorship of some poems.
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He served at court and experienced exile; he wrote during the development of regulated Tang verse.
Crossing the Han River is often attributed to Song Zhiwen, though some collections attribute it to Li Pin.