Home › Poems › Silk-Washing Stream
Huàn Xī ShāSilk-Washing Stream 浣溪沙
Su Shi sees a stream flowing west and asks who says we cannot be young again.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
山下兰芽短浸溪
shān xià lán yá duǎn jìn xī
松间沙路净无泥
sōng jiān shā lù jìng wú ní
谁道人生无再少
shuí dào rén shēng wú zài shǎo
门前流水尚能西
mén qián liú shuǐ shàng néng xī
Simplified characters; traditional title: 浣溪沙. This is a long poem; only the best-known lines are shown, and “……” marks omitted passages.
Note on the text: This page presents a well-known excerpt; the full poem is longer in the traditional corpus.
English translation
At the foot of the hill, short orchid shoots dip into the stream;
the sandy path among the pines is clean, without mud.
Who says that in life we can't be young again?
Even the stream before my gate can flow west.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Su Shi sees a stream flowing west and asks who says we cannot be young again. The scene stays with you.
Background
Su Shi sees a stream flowing west and asks who says we cannot be young again.
Key words
- 山下 shān xià
- at the foot of the mountain
- 兰芽 lán yá
- orchid shoots; orchid sprouts
- 短浸 duǎn jìn
- briefly soaked; a short steeping
About the poet: Su Shi
Su Shi, better known as Su Dongpo, was a poet, essayist, painter, calligrapher and official — the great all-rounder of the Song dynasty. Repeatedly exiled, he met hardship with humor and philosophy, and made the ci (song lyric) a vehicle for grand themes.
Lifetime: 1037–1101. Other famous works: Prelude to Water Melody (When Will the Moon Be Clear?) (水调歌头); Spring Night (春夜); Remembering the Past at Red Cliff (念奴娇·赤壁怀古); Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple (题西林壁); Drinking at West Lake: First Sun, Then Rain (饮湖上初晴后雨); Red Cliff Rhapsody (赤壁赋); Gazing South from Chaoran Terrace (望江南); Drunk at Lake View Tower (六月二十七日望湖楼醉书); Spring River at Dusk (惠崇春江晚景); Crabapple (海棠); Silk-Washing Stream (浣溪沙); Silk-Washing Stream: Dragon Boat Festival (浣溪沙); Eating Lychees (食荔枝); On the Road to Xincheng (新城道中); Calming the Waves (定风波); For Liu Jingwen (赠刘景文).
More by Su Shi
- Spring Night春夜
- Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple题西林壁
- Drinking at West Lake: First Sun, Then Rain饮湖上初晴后雨
- Prelude to Water Melody (When Will the Moon Be Clear?)水调歌头
- Remembering the Past at Red Cliff念奴娇·赤壁怀古
- Gazing South from Chaoran Terrace望江南
- Drunk at Lake View Tower六月二十七日望湖楼醉书
- Spring River at Dusk惠崇春江晚景