Thoughts on a Night Journey
A gentle wind moves fine grass along the bank;
A boat with a tall mast lies alone at night.
Low stars spread over the wide plain;
The moon seems to surge with the great river’s flow.
Is my name truly made by writing?
Age and illness, perhaps, have ended my official life.
What am I like, drifting here and there?
A lone sand gull between earth and sky.
Notes
A tall mast stands for the boat. The sand gull is a shore bird. The couplet about writing and office admits differing interpretations; the translation retains its questions and uncertainty.
Meaning
Moored by the river at night, the traveller sees stars and moonlight and reflects on writing, office and a drifting life.
Appreciation
Grass and a solitary boat establish the nearby, intimate scene.
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Low stars and moonlit water expand the view around the small vessel.
The questions about reputation and office turn from scenery toward the speaker’s circumstances.
The sand gull gives drifting a moving image within a vast landscape.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.