Thoughts at Dawn on an Autumn Night II
The river runs east for thirty thousand li to the sea;
The mountain rises five thousand ren to touch the sky.
People left behind have wept their tears away under foreign-ruled dust;
Looking south for the royal army, another year has passed.
Notes
Jiāngxiǎo means nearly dawn. The vast numbers describe the Yellow River and a high mountain, commonly understood as Mount Hua, rather than measurements. Yímín are people living in northern lands lost by the Song. “Dust” refers to conditions under Jin rule; the royal army is the Song army.
Meaning
The vast Yellow River and a towering mountain evoke the northern landscape. People living there have waited in hardship, looking south for the Song army as another year passes.
Appreciation
The poem moves from a vast northern landscape to people living there and waiting for help.
Read the full appreciationCollapse
Exaggerated distances and heights make the Yellow River and mountain feel immense rather than providing measurements.
The final “another year” gives the wait a human duration and conveys the speaker’s concern for the people.
Find the Yellow River on a map and distinguish the poem’s expressive numbers from actual distances.
About the poet
Lu You (1125–1210), courtesy name Wuguan, was a Southern Song poet from the area of present-day Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He held regional and frontier posts.
Read about the poetCollapse
His large body of poetry includes To My Son and Visiting a Village West of the Mountain.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.