The white herons fly in front of Mount Xisai,

Peach blossoms and running water make Mandarin fish fat.

Green Ruo hat, green straw raincoat,

Slant wind and fine rain do not have to return.

Background of the Author

Zhang Zhihe (ca. 730-ca. 810) was a poet of the Tang Dynasty. He was a native of Jinhua, Wuzhou (present-day Jinhua, Zhejiang). Zhang Zhihe was a talented young man who was good at music, calligraphy and painting, and was highly valued by Emperor Suzong of Tang Dynasty. Afterwards, Zhang Zhihe lived in seclusion in the rivers and lakes and called himself "Smokey Fishing Disciple", and his works were mostly written about the idle life, and his poems were fresh and natural in style.

Notes

Fisherman's Songs: Originally the name of a tune, it was later used as a basis for lyrics, and became the name of a word brand.

Xisai Mountain: in the southwest of Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province.

Chinese Mandarin Fish: the folk said Gui fish, fine scales, light yellow with brown spots, delicious flavor.

Ruo: hat. With bamboo and bamboo leaves prepared hat, used to block the rain.

Demoiselle: rainproof clothes prepared with thatch and brown hemp.

Ancient Poetry Translation

In front of Xisai Mountain, flocks of egrets fly high, and Mandarin fish are fat in the water when peach blossoms bloom. The green-colored hat and the green straw raincoat linger in the slanting rain.

Famous Sentence Appreciation - "Peach blossoms and Mandarin fish are fat in the water."

This is a long-sung lyric, which describes the scenery by the Xisai Mountain: in the air there are egrets flying high, and by the stream below the mountain, there are clusters of colorful peach blossoms in full bloom, and in the stream there are fresh and fat mandarin fishes, and there is also the mild and gentle wind and rain, which is what a vivid and natural spring scene, vibrant, and full of joy. The man in the spring color, wearing a bucket hat and a straw raincoat, bathing in the gentle wind and rain, enjoying the beautiful natural scenery, he himself has become part of the scenery. This wind, this rain is also beautiful, the ancient saying "wet clothes want to wet apricot rain, blowing face not cold willow wind", no wonder he wants to linger. "In addition to not returning home, it also refers to abandoning one's official position and never returning. The person wearing a straw raincoat and a hat is a person of high moral character who does not want to be an official recluse, but also the poet himself. He loved the simplicity and beauty of nature, that this beautiful nature contains his own life interests, he wanted to let himself quietly dissolve into the nature, so that the nature has such a deep sense of touch and attachment.