The Fisherman - Liu Zongyuan
/渔翁 - 柳宗元/
A Quiet Moment of Harmony Between Man and Mountain
原文（Chinese Original）
渔翁夜傍西岩宿，
晓汲清湘燃楚竹。
烟销日出不见人，
欸乃一声山水绿。
回看天际下中流，
岩上无心云相逐。
English Translation
The fisherman rests for the night by the western cliffs;
At dawn, he draws water from the Xiang, lighting up bamboo from Chu.
When the mist dissolves at sunrise, no soul is seen—
Save for a single boatman’s chant, turning the mountains and waters green.
He looks back from midcurrent toward the far horizon;
Above the cliffs, unhurried clouds chase each other, free of care.
In “The Fisherman,” Liu Zongyuan captures a scene of serene simplicity: a lone fisherman amid towering cliffs and the gently flowing Xiang River. The poem unfolds in six lines, each rich with imagery that merges human activity—drawing water, lighting bamboo—with the broader rhythms of dawn and mist.
The fisherman’s choice to spend the night by the western cliffs and then quietly move with the rising sun underlines his seamless communion with nature. Unlike a busy harbor or a populous village, here there is no hustle—only the echo of a boatman’s chant, which seems to color the landscape itself a vibrant green. This subtle link between sound and sight embodies classical Chinese poetry’s emphasis on the unity of the senses and the land.
As the fisherman floats downstream, the final couplet transitions the reader’s perspective from the water to the lofty cliffs. There, the clouds drift “无心” (without care), highlighting their spontaneous, effortless movement. This image resonates with Daoist and Zen-like notions of letting things be, suggesting that true freedom comes not from controlling nature but from coexisting peacefully within it. In essence, “The Fisherman” offers a meditation on how solitude, far from being lonely, can deepen our sense of belonging in the natural world and free us to observe life’s subtleties without distraction.
Key points
1. Solitude in nature can foster a profound sense of unity between the individual and the environment.
2. Simple actions—drawing water, burning bamboo—take on poetic resonance when viewed in a setting of natural stillness.
3. The poem’s gentle imagery and minimal human presence highlight themes of non-interference and effortless harmony.
4. Liu Zongyuan’s writing exemplifies the Tang Dynasty’s refined melding of philosophical insight with vivid, concrete scenes.
