Where do you live?
I live by Heng Pond.
I am stopping my boat for a while
To ask you if we live in the same village.
2. (Man)
My home faces the Yangtze River.
I come and go along the riverside.
We may both live in Long Pole Village,
But I have never seen you before in my life.
3. (Woman)
There are many stormy waves downstream.
I find that the lotus boats 2 are becoming scarce.
I am asking for your help
Because I cannot fight against the torrent by myself on my way home.
4. (Man)
The tidal current of the river is fierce.
The stormy waves of the Five Lakes surge 3.
I understand a flower's fragility 4,
But do not fear the difficult journey of the lotus boat.
1
The rhythm and the theme of this poem are derived from an ancient anonymous
poem, "Long Pole Village": (A woman speaks)
"Due to the upstream current, I invite my girl friends.
My lotus boat does not fear the rocking.
I live by the Yangtze River.
We are going to play in the surf in Yang City." (Yang City , a beautiful
city, is currently located in Jiang-du County in Jiangsu Province.)
The ancient poem describes the bravery of women. The man in Cui's poem
encourages the woman to be brave and independent.
2
A lotus boat refers to a boat operated by a woman.
3
These two lines imply that people's gossip is powerful enough to damage their
reputations. The Five Lakes refer to China's Five Great Lakes: Dongting, Taihu,
Boyang, Hongze, and Chaohu.
4
This line says that the woman is not brave and does not show enough concern
for social propriety.