Arriving at Xuyi County at Dusk - Wei Yingwu
/夕次盱眙县 - 韦应物/
Arriving at Xuyi County at Dusk - Wei Yingwu
/夕次盱眙县 - 韦应物/
夕次盱眙县
Arriving at Xuyi County at Dusk
落帆逗淮镇
Dropping the sails at a Huai River town,
停舫临孤驿
We moor our boat near a lonely post station.
浩浩风起波
A vast wind rises, rippling the waves,
冥冥日沈夕
While dusk deepens, the sun sinking into night.
人归山郭暗
People head back behind shadowy city walls,
雁下芦洲白
As geese descend upon pale reed islets.
独夜忆秦关
Alone in the night, I recall the frontier passes of Qin,
听钟未眠客
Listening to distant bells, a sleepless traveler far from home.
In this poem, Wei Yingwu captures the mood of evening arrival at Xuyi County, set along the Huai River. The poem opens with images of dropped sails and a boat gently coming to rest near a solitary station, emphasizing the transition from movement to a momentary pause. A sweeping wind and darkening sky highlight the subtle shift into night, creating a scene at once peaceful and vaguely stirring.
Life behind the distant city walls carries on, while wild geese settle on nearby reed-covered banks. That tranquil, natural scenery soon gives way to the poet’s internal reflections: far from home and haunted by memories of the Qin frontier, he feels an undercurrent of longing. The toll of bells in the distance resonates with his restlessness, underscoring his status as a traveler who cannot yet find rest.
Across its brief lines, the poem expresses both the external scene—a quiet evening by the water—and the inner state of a mind turned toward bygone places. Though the setting is marked by calm, there is an ever-present ache of displacement. By pairing the vastness of nature with the intimacy of personal memory, Wei Yingwu invites us to sense the profound resonance that can exist between solitude in unfamiliar terrain and the yearning for what was left behind.
• Stopping to rest can stir deep introspection.
• Evening light and natural surroundings often heighten a sense of longing.
• Travel reminds us of home and the quiet resonance between our inner world and the broader landscape.