Li Bai: Travel to Qing Xi

 

Travel to Qing Xi

 

清 溪 行
清 溪 清 我 心
水 色 异 诸 水。
借 问 新 安 江
见 底 何 如 此?
人 行 明 镜 中
鸟 度 屏 风 里。
向 晚 猩 猩 啼
空 悲 远 游 子。
Qing Xi Xing

Qing xi qing wo xin
Shui se yi zhu shui.
Jie wen xin an jiang
Jian di he ru ci?

Ren xing ming jing zhong
Niao du bing feng li.
Xiang wan xing xing ti
Kong bei yuan you zi.

 

Travel to Qing Xi

Clear small stream purifies my heart-mind
River water colors different from other waters.
May I ask about the Xin An River
What does the visible bottom look like?

People’s traveling boats amid a bright mirror
Many birds with a beautiful screen behind them.
Towards evening, orangutans cry out
Emptiness not remote, been away from home for a long time.

 

Notes:

Xin An River: Located on the eastern edge of Jiangxi Province. It flows into Poyang Lake, and then into the Changjiang.