DU Mu: Autumn Rivershore

　　Autumn Rivershore
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　DU Mu (803-853)
The river-shoreline has perceptibly receded,
And the shade of willow leaves is becoming cancellous.
Children are heard calling from the boats
Beyond the dam, where fishermen are casting nets.
Sails speed by with the flags, while a light boat
Like an arrow thrashes against the flow.
You entered my dream, so intimate
That I have sent you a letter to the distant.


　　秋岸
　　　　　　　杜牧
河岸微退落，柳影微凋疏。
船上听呼稚，堤南趁漉鱼。
数帆旗去疾，一艇箭回初。
曾入相思梦，因凭附远书。

　　秋autumn岸 rivershore
　　　　　　　　Du Mu
河river　岸bank　微slightly　退recede　落fall
柳willow　影shade　微slightly　凋wither　疏scanty
船boat　上on　听listen　呼call　稚child
堤dam　南south　趁chase　漉net (v.)　鱼fish
数several/numerous　帆sail　旗flag　去go away　疾quick
一one　艇barge　箭arrow　回return　初just/only
曾once　入enter　相each other　思yearn　梦dream
因凭rely on　附through　远distant　书letter

　　This poem is by a late Tang poet DU Mu (803-853), who enjoyed very high reputation. He and Li Shangyin (812?-858?), both late Tang poets, were called “Li and Du the Junior” as compared to the two greatest poets “Li and Du” (Li Bai 701-762 and Du Fu (712-770)) in the high Tang dynasty. This is a five-character parallel regulated rhyme, which means that there are eight lines with the alternating four lines rhyming. In this poem, the rhyme is [u:] sound.
　　This poem is not necessarily DU Mu’s best, and it was included in the addendum of the authoritative edition of his collected poems entitled Fanchuan Poems (fanchuan being his penname). However, this poem proves his unique skills and techniques. The first two lines use a kind of understatement “slightly” to show the delicate change as autumn sets in. The water is receding, and the willow leaves begin to fall but still not thick enough to cast down shade.
　　The following two lines are important in the sense that the children not only symbolize exuberant life and hope but also the family life which the poet-speaker probably lacks. The final two lines tell us that the poet-speaker is separated from his lover or wife or family. The fourth line refers to the fishing net. Again, the fishing net can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, fishing can be read as the pursuit for fame and gain, and this is in accordance with the symbol of entrapment in the use of net. On the other hand, fisherman life has long been a symbol of withdraw from the chase after worldly success, and a fisherman symbolizes a hermit. The coming and going of boats, of course, should be best interpreted as the hustling and bustling of everyday life, including the pursuit of vanity and worldly possessions, as well as the seperation and reunion of loved ones. In face of this business or busyness, the poet, away from his beloved, realizes he had a dream about hearth and has sent or will send a letter to the distant.

Back-translation of the English into contemporary Chinese 英文的现代语译：

　　　秋日的河畔
河岸线可以感觉得到地后退了，
柳树叶的阴影正变成多孔症。
孩子的叫唤声从大地那边的船上
传来，那儿有渔夫们正在撒网。
船帆与小旗急速驶过，而一只轻舟
犹如一支箭逆流刺过。
你入了我的梦，那么亲近，
因此我为你遥寄了一封信。

该诗收入杜牧《樊川诗集》的外集，也许并不是他的代表性作品，但是却也很有特色。首两行两次用了低姿态的“微”字，实际上强调了此刻秋日逐渐来临，河岸的后移已经能够感觉得出来了，而树叶虽然还很浓郁，可已经看得出其阴影犹如镂花一样的空了。第三四行写得比较用心。第三行的孩子叫唤声，不仅仅暗示了生机、希望和生活，而且也暗示了一种诗人似乎缺少的天伦之乐。这在最后两行得到了补充，梦见远方的亲人，说明自己身边是没有家人的。第四行的“趁漉鱼”也有两解。一方面，渔夫生活是传统的归隐象征，或者这里的渔夫因为有孩子，则又是一种充实而闲适的家居生活；另一方面，这里的“趁”又暗示着一种营营碌碌的追名逐利。于是，船来船往就不仅仅是生活奔波或者分离团聚的手段，也还是随波逐流趋炎附势的象征。最后一转，似乎暗示人生的意义也还在于人与人的情。当然，这最后两行并没有很强烈的感染力。