Inscription on the Wall of the Post Station North of Da-yu Mountain1
Song, Zhi-wen2 (656-713 CE)
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| Zhi-wen Song |
It is said that when south-bound wild geese reach here in October,
They fly no further and return north in Spring3.
It is still a long way to the place of my exile.
When can I return home?
The river is calm after the tide ebbs.
The forest is gloomy and the noxious vapor does not dissipate4.
Tomorrow as I ascend to the peak of Da-yu Mountain,
I shall see the plum flowers blooming5
While viewing my hometown from the distance6.
1Da-yu Mountain is located in present day Da-you-xian County in Jiangxi Province. There are many plum trees on the mountain, so it is also known as Plum Mountain. During Song’s time, Da-yu Mountain was a dividing line between civilization and a primitive region. This is why Song felt so sad about his exile.
2Shao-lian and Yan-qing were Zhi-wen Song’s other first names. Zhi-wen Song was a native of Fen-zhou City (present day Fen-yang City in Shanxi Province) during the Tang dynasty. He passed the Advanced Exam in 675 CE. At the peak of his career, he was the Deputy Minister of Examination Affairs. Later, Emperor Rui-zong accused him of obsequiously serving Princess Tai-ping (peace) and Yi-zhi Zhang, the prime minister of the late Empress Ze-tian Wu who usurped the Tang dynasty. Consequently, the emperor banished Song to Qin-zhou City and later ordered his death. It can be said that Zhi-wen Song was the victim of a power struggle.
3Song’s exile destination was Qin-zhou City (South of Qin-zhou City in Guangxi Province) near the Southern Sea. Song felt that his situation was worse than that of a wild goose. He had to travel very far to a primitive land. Furthermore, he was given no specific date to return.
4This line and the previous one describe Song’s feelings. The previous line says that the river has a time to be calm, but his agitated thoughts never calm down. This line says that the noxious vapor, like the melancholy in his mind, does not dissipate.
5The phrase “the plum flowers” is a double entendre. When Song viewed his hometown the next day, his heart would burst with joy just as blossoms of plum trees bloom.
6The next day Song wrote another poem called “Crossing Da-yu Mountain”. It says,
“When I passed through Da-yu Mountain leaving my homeland behind,/
I stopped my carriage to view my hometown.”
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| Translator: Li-Chung Wang |
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