An Evening Stop at Xuyi
I lower the sail and stop by a Huai River town;
My boat rests near a solitary post station.
A vast wind rises and stirs the waves;
In the dimness the sun sinks into evening.
People go home as the mountain town darkens;
Geese descend on a white reed-covered islet.
Alone at night, I think of the passes of Qin;
A traveller lies awake listening to the bell.
Notes
Ci means to stop on a journey. Xuyi lies in present-day Jiangsu, beside the Huai River. The Qin passes evoke the distant region of home. White reeds and the bell frame the traveller’s sleepless night.
Meaning
Stopping at Xuyi, the traveller watches wind, homeward people and geese before spending a sleepless night thinking of distant Qin.
Appreciation
Lowering the sail marks a temporary stop.
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Wind, waves and the setting sun move the scene into night.
People returning home and descending geese contrast with the solitary traveller.
The sleepless bell-listener gives the homesickness a human presence.
About the poet
Wei Yingwu (c. 737–c. 792) was a Tang poet associated with the area of present-day Xi’an; accounts of his dates differ.
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He served in places including Chuzhou, Jiangzhou and Suzhou, and often wrote about landscape and daily life.
His works include West Stream at Chuzhou and An Autumn Night Sent to Qiu.