Inside Hunan
湘 中
猿 愁 鱼 鲬 水 翻 波
自 古 流 传 是 汩 罗。 蘋 藻 满 盘 无 处 奠
空 闻 渔 父 扣 舷 歌。
Xiang Zhong
Yuan chou yu yong shui fan bo
Zi gu liu chuan shi gu luo. Pin zao man pan wu chu dian
Kong wen yu fu kou xian ge.
Inside Hunan
Apes wail, river fish jump up and over a multitude of waves
Natural and ancient, sincere and simple expressions here at the
Bo Luo River. No place for clover ferns and water plants coiled and full, to be used to memorialize Qu Yuan
In the rain hear old fishermen tapping their boat sides, singing their songs.
Notes:
Bo Luo River: Tributary to the Yellow River east of Chang’an (Xi’an).
Qu Yuan: (343-278 BC): Famous poet and palace minister during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (Warring States Period). Reportedly the first Chinese poet to have attached his name to a work of art. Compiled one of the two greatest collections of ancient poetry, the “Songs of Chu”. Popular legend has him committing suicide in the Miluo River, which lead to the modern day Dragon Boat Festival.