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Táo Huā XīPeach Blossom Stream 桃花溪

Zhang Xu (张旭, also known as Chang Hsü, Zhang Dian)｜High Tang｜seven-character quatrain

Zhang Xu on Peach Blossom Stream, borrowing the Peach Blossom Spring story.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

隐隐飞桥隔野烟
yǐn yǐn fēi qiáo gé yě yān

石矶西畔问渔船
shí jī xī pàn wèn yú chuán

桃花尽日随流水
táo huā jǐn rì suí liú shuǐ

洞在清溪何处边
dòng zài qīng xī hé chù biān

Simplified characters; traditional title: 桃花溪.

Faintly, a flying bridge beyond the wild mist;

by the rocky shore to the west I ask a fishing boat:

the peach blossoms float all day on the flowing water —

where along the clear stream is the cave?

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

隐隐飞桥隔野烟 · yǐn yǐn fēi qiáo gé yě yān — Faintly, a flying bridge beyond the wild mist;

石矶西畔问渔船 · shí jī xī pàn wèn yú chuán — by the rocky shore to the west I ask a fishing boat:

桃花尽日随流水 · táo huā jǐn rì suí liú shuǐ — the peach blossoms float all day on the flowing water —

洞在清溪何处边 · dòng zài qīng xī hé chù biān — where along the clear stream is the cave?

Zhang Xu on Peach Blossom Stream, borrowing the Peach Blossom Spring story. The scene stays with you.

Zhang Xu on Peach Blossom Stream, borrowing the Peach Blossom Spring story.

Zhang Xu, the Sage of Cursive Script, was also a High Tang poet.

Lifetime: 8th c.. Other famous works: Asking a Guest to Stay on a Mountain Walk (山行留客); Peach Blossom Stream (桃花溪).