Near the creek, the room, furnished with a pillow and a bamboo mat, is cold
as if autumn is about to come. The scattered clouds nestled by the water
disperse at sunset. The red lotus flowers lean against each other as if they are
drunk. The silent white birds must be sorrowful. Like Hao Yin, I write page
after page of "duo duo" 2. Like Tu Si-kong, I build Xiu-xiu Gazebo
3. Then even a hill or a valley can inspire my imagination. I wonder
how much my health has decayed. I tire simply by climbing stairs
4.
1
Xin wrote this poem by the Geese Lake right after he recovered from his
sickness. The Geese Lake was located five miles northeast of present day
Qian-shan County of Jiangxi Province.
2
Hao Yin of the Jin dynasty originally had a good position, but he was
suddenly terminated for no reason. Therefore, he wrote page after page of "duo
duo" (monstrous absurdity). See The History of the Jin Dynasty.
Xin was a great general during his early twenties. After he surrendered to
the Emperor of the Southern Song dynasty, he was given a small post. He wondered
why the emperor did not give him a more important position. Therefore, he wrote
page after page of "duo duo".
3
Tu Si-kong, a hermit of the Tang dynasty, lived on Zhong-tiao Mountain. He
built Xiu-xiu (beautiful) Gazebo there. See The History of the Tang dynasty.
4
This line reveals that the state of Xin's health did not match that of his
ambition.