惠(huì)崇(chónɡ)春(chūn)江(jiānɡ)晚(wǎn)景(jǐnɡ)

苏(sū)轼(shì)〔宋(sònɡ)代(dài)〕

竹(zhú)外(wài)桃(táo)花(huā)三(sān)两(liǎnɡ)枝(zhī),

春(chūn)江(jiānɡ)水(shuǐ)暖(nuǎn)鸭(yā)先(xiān)知(zhī)。

蒌(lóu)蒿(hāo)满(mǎn)地(dì)芦(lú)芽(yá)短(duǎn),

正(zhènɡ)是(shì)河(hé)豚(tún)欲(yù)上(shànɡ)时(shí)。

Explanation of Ancient Chinese Poetry

A couple of peach blossoms bloom outside the bamboo forest, and ducks playing in the water are the first to notice the warming of the early spring river water.

The riverbank is covered with artemisia and short, new shoots of reeds sprout, while the river dolphins are swimming upstream from the sea back to the rivers.

Annotations

惠崇（huì chóng；亦为慧崇）：Hui Chong, a monk from Jianyang, Fujian, one of the Nine Monks of the early Song Dynasty, skilled in poetry and painting.
蒌蒿（lóu hāo）：A type of grass, including species like green artemisia and white artemisia.
芦芽（lú yá）：The young shoots of reeds, edible.
河豚（hé tún）：A type of fish, scientifically named “Tetraodon”, with delicious meat but poisonous ovaries and livers. Found along China’s coast and some inland rivers. It swims upstream every spring to spawn in freshwater. 上（shàng）：Means swimming upstream.

Creation Background

“Two Views of the Spring River at Dusk by Hui Chong” are two poems written by Su Shi in AD 1085 (the eighth year of the Yuanfeng period of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty) in Bianjing (today’s Kaifeng, Henan Province) for the two paintings of “Spring River at Dusk” painted by Hui Chong. Some say that this poem was written in Jiangyin. This poem is the first one.