[Poem] RIVER SNOW (THIRD VERSION) - Clarification on the Known Poem and Possible Confusions

Liu Zongyuan’s celebrated poem “江雪” (River Snow) is famously recorded as a single quatrain, with no standard “(其一), (其二), (其三)” divisions. In reputable Tang poetry anthologies and in Liu Zongyuan’s established corpus, only that single short poem is found:

千山鸟飞绝
万径人踪灭
孤舟蓑笠翁
独钓寒江雪

(Translation: Amid a thousand mountains, no birds are in flight; along ten thousand paths, no trace of human footprints. In a lone boat, an old man in a straw rain cape and hat fishes alone on the cold river, amidst the snow.)

There is no historically recognized “江雪(其二)” or “江雪(其三).” If such references appear, they typically arise from:

1. **Modern or Editorial Choices**: Some modern compilations number a poem differently (e.g., “(其一)” or “(其二)”) for their own organizational reasons. This is not standard in classical sources.
2. **Creative Homages or Imitations**: Later poets might compose ‘reply poems’ (和诗) or tributes labeled as additional versions, but these are not by Liu Zongyuan himself.
3. **Mislabeling**: Sometimes a different poem of similar theme is mistakenly attributed or appended to “江雪,” leading to confusion.

Hence, no authentic “江雪(其三)” by Liu Zongyuan exists in the classical record. The single recognized “江雪” remains one of the most iconic images of solitude in Chinese poetry, depicting a silent winter landscape interrupted only by the solitary figure of a determined fisherman. Any so-called “(其三)” should be treated as either an editorial variant, a later homage, or an unverified text outside Liu Zongyuan’s authentic works.