240. Song of Changgan, II | Cui Hao
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
家临九江水，来去九江侧。
English translation
My home stands by the waters of Jiujiang, and my journeys pass along their banks.
The reply gives both home and habitual route. The historical reach of Jiujiang varied; what matters here is a shared life of travel on the river rather than one modern map point.
Original Chinese text
同是长干人，生小不相识。
English translation
We are both people of Changgan, yet we never knew each other growing up.
From childhood is the sense of shengxiao. Once a common home is confirmed, the speakers discover that their pasts never crossed, leaving familiarity and strangeness together.
赏析 · Commentary
它像上一首诗的回答 · A Reply to the Previous Poem
上一首由女子问“君家何处住”，这一首便从“家临九江水”答起。两首分开成篇，合看却是一段完整对话。回答没有直接重复横塘，而是先说江水和航路，直到第三句才确认同为长干人。信息一点点靠近，像两条船慢慢并行。
The previous poem asks where the other lives; this one begins with an answer about a home by Jiujiang. Each poem stands alone, yet together they form a conversation. The reply does not immediately repeat Hengtang, but moves through water and travel route before confirming Changgan in the third line. Information approaches gradually, like two boats drawing alongside.
同乡为什么从小不相识 · From the Same Place, Yet Strangers
长干并不是只有几户人家的小村，两人同属一地却从未见过并不矛盾。末句的妙处也不在考证，而在突然出现的遗憾：既然今日一开口便觉得亲近，过去怎么一直错过？诗没有继续写相识之后的故事，把刚刚建立的联系留在江面上。
Changgan was not a tiny hamlet where everyone necessarily knew one another. The final line's interest is not geographical proof but a sudden small regret: if speech creates closeness so quickly now, how did their paths never cross before? The poem does not continue the relationship, leaving the newly discovered connection on the river.