TUNE: DREAM OF A FAIR MAIDEN

MOORING AT THE FOOT OF MOUNT MING

Chen Yuyi

(Southern Song Dynasty)

Fish dance with dragons on the tide

To mourn over the poet drowned by riverside.

By riverside States rise and fall,

Waves level all.

Without wine the Dragon Boat Day is passed in vain;

I moor my boat by riverside to watch the rain.

To watch the rain,

A lonely white-haired man at last

Comes to lakeside to mourn over the past.

忆秦娥•五日移舟明山下作 

[南宋]陈与义

鱼龙舞,

湘君欲下潇湘浦。

潇湘浦,兴亡离合,

乱波平楚。

独无尊酒酬端午,

移舟来听明山雨。

明山雨,

白头孤客,洞庭怀古。

About the poet 

Chen Yuyi was a Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) poet known for his unrestrained writing style with a touch of elegance.

About the translator 

Xu Yuanchong (1921-2021) was born in Nanchang in East China's Jiangxi Province. He was a professor of literary translation at Peking University.

About the book 

300 Song lyrics Translated by Xu Yuanchong Published by China Intercontinental Press