Living
A Drinking Song at Stone-Fish Lake
Translated by Witter Bynner and Kiang Kang-hu (1929) · From The Jade Mountain (1929)
Stone-Fish Lake is like Lake Tung-t'ing —
When the top of Chun is green and the summer tide is rising.
. . . With the mountain for a table, and the lake a fount of wine,
The tipplers all are settled along the sandy shore.
Though a stiff wind for days has roughened the water,
Wine-boats constantly arrive. . . .
I have a long-necked gourd and, happy on Pa Island,
I am pouring a drink in every direction, doing away with care.
Codex Note
(I have used grain from the public fields, for distilling wine. After my office hours I have the wine loaded on a boat and then I seat my friends on the bank of the lake. The little wine-boats come to each of us and supply us with wine. We seem to be drinking on Pa Islet in Lake Tung-t'ing. And I write this poem.)
Cite this poem
MLA
Chieh, Yüan. “A Drinking Song at Stone-Fish Lake.” Translated by Witter Bynner and Kiang Kang-hu. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/yuan-chieh/3/.
Chicago
Chieh, Yüan. “A Drinking Song at Stone-Fish Lake.” Translated by Witter Bynner and Kiang Kang-hu. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/yuan-chieh/3/.
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