ChineseStudy

258. West Stream at Chuzhou | Wei Yingwu

Contents

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English translation

I have a special fondness for the secluded grass growing beside the stream; above it, an oriole calls from deep within the trees.

The opening verb means to favor or cherish, not necessarily to pity. Deep trees are dense, shadowed foliage. Quiet grass below and an unseen bird sounding above give the stream bank both depth and movement.

Toward evening, the spring current swells swiftly with rain. At the deserted country crossing, an unattended boat lies sideways on the water.

The boat does not act by itself in a human sense; with no ferryman guiding it, it drifts crosswise with the current. Fast rain and rising water meet an empty crossing and an idle craft, setting motion against stillness.

赏析 · Commentary

从一株草看到整条溪涧 · From a Patch of Grass to the Whole Stream

诗的视线先落在涧边幽草，再抬到深树中的黄鹂，随后转向晚来的春潮，最后停在渡口横舟。四种景物的位置不断变化：低处、高处、流动的水面、无人使用的渡船。没有一个全景式介绍，西涧却在视线移动中完整起来。

The gaze begins with grass at the bank, rises to an oriole within dense trees, turns to the evening current, and rests on a crosswise boat at the ferry. The positions keep changing: low ground, upper foliage, moving water, an unused craft. No panoramic description is offered, yet the west stream becomes whole through the movement of attention.

“无人”留下的开放感 · The Openness Left by an Empty Ferry

末句常被读出闲淡、孤寂或寄托，但正文没有规定唯一情绪。渡口无人，可以是雨天行人断绝，也可以只是诗人看到的一刻；船横在水上，既显得自由，也显得无所用。韦应物把判断留空，因此同一幅景象能容纳安静、寂寥和从容。

The last line has been read as ease, loneliness, or political implication, but the text fixes no single mood. An empty ferry may reflect travel interrupted by rain or simply one observed moment. The crosswise boat can seem free or unused. By withholding judgment, Wei Yingwu leaves room for quiet, solitude, and composure within the same scene.

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