When the sound of the night bell rippled throughout Jian-ye City
1,
I stood in the misty rain on the shore of the Chu River 2.
The approaching sail covered by a thick layer of vapor became heavy.
After dusk the birds left later than usual.
The door of the sea 3 was too far away to see.
The distant trees along the shore seemed to contain dense moisture.
When I said farewell my heart was so full of emotion
That my tears and scattered threads of rain 4 mingled together.
1
Jian-ye City was the old name for Nanjing. During the Three Kingdoms
Period, Jian-ye City was the capital of the Kingdom of Wu.
2
The section of the Yangtze River from Ru-xu-kou City to the Three Gorges
belonged to the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. Therefore, this
part of the river was called the Chu River.
3
The door of the sea refers to the place where the Yang-tze River enters the
sea.
4
The poem "Miscellaneous", written by Xie Zhang of the Jin dynasty, says,
"The dense rain is like scattered threads."