Several columns of wild geese returning north have disappeared beyond the
horizon.
I worry that the one who has been left behind may get lost.
He calls to his friends in the rain at sunset.
When he finds a cold pond,
He wants to rest there, but hesitates to do so.
As he pierces the low, dark clouds above the island,
His only companion is the cold moonlight.
Although he may not meet a hunter's arrow,
It is still dangerous to fly alone.
1
Tu Cui passed the Advanced Exam in 888 A.D. Cui's hometown was southeast of
the Yangtze River. He held government positions in west China most of his life.
In this poem, he compares himself to a lonely goose because he is away from his
family and relatives.