Embankment Stroll - Liu Yuxi
/堤上行 - 刘禹锡/
A Quiet Walk Along the Riverside Path
春尽江南草木深，
When spring recedes, southern fields grow lush and dense,
乱花过后寂无音。
The riot of blossoms has passed—silence remains.
旧游不见芳华处，
No trace of former splendor in the places we once roamed,
空有斜阳带泪痕。
Only the slanting sun lingers, bearing tear-stained sorrow.
When spring recedes, southern fields grow lush and dense,
乱花过后寂无音。
The riot of blossoms has passed—silence remains.
旧游不见芳华处，
No trace of former splendor in the places we once roamed,
空有斜阳带泪痕。
Only the slanting sun lingers, bearing tear-stained sorrow.
In “Embankment Stroll,” Liu Yuxi offers a tender portrait of seasonal transition and the impermanence of cherished memories. Set along a riverside path in southern China, the poem uses vivid yet concise images—lush greenery, fading blossoms, and the silent air—to convey how quickly beauty can vanish. The speaker reflects on past moments of delight, now replaced by quiet stillness, suggesting that time spares none of life’s grand scenes.
In the opening lines, Liu Yuxi focuses on spring’s retreat: the once-vibrant landscape now appears hushed, its flowers scattered and silent. This shift signals more than the change of a season; it evokes the fleeting nature of human experiences, recalling both personal nostalgia and the broader cycles of rise and decline that he often explores in his work.
The final couplet deepens this theme of transience. The “former splendor” has disappeared, leaving only a melancholic sunset. By pairing the lingering sun with “tear-stained sorrow,” Liu Yuxi creates an image that merges outer beauty with inner emotion. The poem’s brevity echoes the abruptness of change, suggesting that even the most vivid moments slip into the past without warning.
Though composed of only four lines, “Embankment Stroll” resonates with a gentle longing that invites readers to contemplate the interplay between nature’s cycles and human remembrance. As so often in Tang poetry, the physical setting—here, a riverside embankment—doubles as an emotional landscape. Liu Yuxi’s understated yet poignant language invites us to treasure the present, knowing that today’s light can quickly fade into tomorrow’s memory.
Key points
• Highlights the swift passage of spring and the echo of vanished beauty.
• Uses a tranquil riverside setting to explore themes of nostalgia and loss.
• Underscores the Tang poetic ideal of merging landscape with inner reflection.
• Suggests that nature’s cycles mirror the arcs of human experience, urging mindfulness of the present.
