The Lonely Wild Goose: No. 2
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
念尔独何之。
暮雨相呼失，
寒塘欲下迟。
渚云低暗度，
关月冷相随。
未必逢矰缴，
孤飞自可疑。
English translation
The last flocks have returned to the frontier, I think of you, going alone, where to?
In evening rain you called and lost the others, above the cold pond you hesitate to descend.
Low clouds over the islet, you cross in darkness, the moon above the pass follows you coldly.
You may not yet have met the hunter's dart, but flying alone, you must ever be wary.
Meaning
The companions that once flew in formation have all returned to the frontier, and only you, lone goose, do not know where to fly alone. In the evening rain you cry out mournfully for your lost fellows; you would settle, but you hesitate in fear and do not come down to the cold pond. Low and dark over the islet, you pass alone through the clouds, and only the cold moon over the passes and mountains keeps you company in your loneliness. Though you may not fall to some hidden snare and lose your life, still, flying alone and cut off from the flock, you fill a man with dread.
Background
Read the background
The author was a southerner who spent his life sojourning in Ba, Shu, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, and Gansu, with much of the feeling of one exiled to the world's end. This poem was written while he was living in Hunan and Hubei.