Boatmen Blowing Their Flutes
舟 人 吹 笛
长 江 无 风 水 平 绿
也 无 靴 纹 也 无 縠；
东 西 一 望 光 浮 空
莹 然 千 顷 无 瑕 玉。
船 上 儿 郎 不 耐 闲
醉 拈 横 笛 吹 云 烟。
一 声 清 长 响 彻 天
山 猿 啼 月 涧 落 泉。
更 打 羊 皮 小 腰 鼓
头 如 青 峰 手 如 雨。
中 流 忽 有 一 大 鱼
跳 破 琉 璃 丈 来 许。
Zhou Ren Chui Di
Chang jiang wu feng shui ping lu
Ye wu xue wen ye wu hu;
Dong xi yi wang guang fu kong
Ying ran qian qing wu xia yu.
Chuan shang er lang bu nai xian
Zui nian heng di chui yun yan;
Yi sheng qing chang xiang che tian
Shan yuan ti yue jian luo quan.
Geng da yang pi xiao yao gu
Tou ru qing feng shou ru yu.
Zhong liu chang you yi da yu
Tiao po liu li zhang lai xu.
Boatmen Blowing Their Flutes
A long river without any wind, water green and level
Like boots without patterned veins, without wrinkled gauze.
One gaze into the distance, from east to west the sky bright with floating clouds
Acres and acres with a flawless, jade-like light.
In their boat, young officials cannot endure the idleness
Drunk, flutes picked-up to play for the horizons of clouds and mists.
One sound long and clear echoes and penetrates into the sky
Mountain apes wail to the setting moon through springtime ravines.
Small-waisted girls play their sheep-skinned drums
Heads like green mountain peaks, hands like rainfall.
Mid-river, one large fish breaks the surface
His wake breaks the colored glaze reflections from his ten foot leap.