Whole River Red · The Rhythm of Touring Nan Yan and Fan Kuo
- Poetry of Xin Qiji

笑拍洪崖，问“千丈翠岩谁削？”

依旧是、西风白马，北村南郭。

似整复斜僧屋乱，欲吞还吐林烟薄。

觉人间、万事到秋来，都摇落。

呼斗酒，同君酌。更小隐，寻幽约。

且丁宁休负，北山猿鹤。

有鹿从渠求鹿梦，非鱼定未知鱼乐。

正仰看、飞鸟却应人，回头错。

Laughter rings through the tall cliffs, asking the thousands of zhang, who cut the emerald rocks? (Zhàng / 丈 measurement of land – roughly equivalent to 3.2 metres)

[Scenery] remains, of autumn wind and white horse, from north village to southern outer wall. (Touring Nan Yan all over again today, the scenery remains the same)

The seemingly gambrel monk house is an uneven mess, to breathe in or out the forest mist is thin.

Feel that in the mortal world, everything will come to autumn, all shaken down. (Shaking down refers to the falling leaves in autumn, representing the poet’s feelings after losing many important things within this life)

–

Calling for a drinking contest pouring for the lord.

In a more hidden spot, searching for serene arrangement.

Repeated warnings to take a rest from heavy loads, don’t become the apes and cranes of the northern mountain. (Urging to retire and live in seclusion earlier, don’t spend a long time unwilling to part from officialdom.)

There are deer seeking deer dreams from the watercourse, one that is not a fish will certainly not understand the joys of a fish. (Being in the officialdom is not the equivalent of being happy, as for the joys of fishes swimming in water, it is something that cannot be appreciated by those that have not retired)

Looking, up, the flying birds actually responds to people, looking back [already done] wrong. (Looking up, fondly watching the birds, thinking the birds are responding, only to find)