Wang Wei: Go to Si River for Cold Food Days

 

Go to Si River for Cold Food Days

 

寒 食 汜 上 作
广 武 城 边 逢 暮 春
汶 阳 归 客 泪 沾 巾。
落 花 寂 寂 啼 山 鸟
杨 柳 青 青 渡 水 人。
Han Shi Si Shang Zuo

Guang wu cheng bian feng mu chun
Wen yang gui ke lei zhan jin.
Luo hua ji ji ti shan niao
Yang liu qing qing du shui ren.

 

Go to Si River for Cold Food Days

Next to the Guangwu city wall, meet the springtime dusk
As a returning guest, Wenyang’s tears moisten his handkerchief.
Fallen flowers very still, quiet broken by the cries of mountain birds
Poplar and willow trees very green where a ferry boat brings people across.

 

Notes:

Guangwu: Probably named after the famous Han emperor (r. 25-57 AD) who established the Eastern Han Dynasty. A walled city bearing this name was built during the Jin Dynasty in Shanxi Province.

Cold Food Days: Holiday observed during the days leading up to Qing Ming when no cooked food was prepared.