六月二十日夜渡海 While Crossing the Strait on June‘s 20th Day

六月二十日夜渡海

原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）

英文版: 闵晓红(2024.01)

参横斗转欲三更，苦雨终风也解晴。

云散月明谁点缀，天容海色本澄清。

空余鲁叟乘桴意，粗识轩辕奏乐声。

九死南荒吾不恨，兹游奇绝冠平生。

While Crossing the Strait on June‘s 20th Day

Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo')

English version: Julia Min (Jan. 2024)

The night fades; Hunter and Dipper dim away.

At last comes the end of dark wind and rain—

A cloudless moon over the beaming waves.

No haze, no contrast, just nature’s seascape.

Nor regret for the deadly exile at World’s Edge,

I lived it to the fullest, the most exotic quest—

A true taste of Confucius floating on the sea,

A touch of Xuanyuan’s melody and philosophy.

Notes:

1. June: all the dates in Ancient Chinese literature refer to the Lunar Calendar, which is usually one month behind the Solar Calendar. So, 20 June is about the end of July on the Solar Calendar.

2. Hunter and Dipper: two of the most recognisable star constellations often mentioned in literature.

3. World’s Edge: Hainan Island was regarded as the furthest continent to the sea, hence often called in history as ‘the end of the world’.

4. Confucius ‘floating life on the sea’: originated from Confucius words: should my theory not be accepted by the Rulers of the states, I would have a floating life on the sea (据《论语·公冶长》载，孔子曾说： “道（王道）不行，乘桴浮于海。”)

5. Xuanyuan: the legendary Yellow Emperor (some simply call him ‘Huangdi’黄帝)， reign dates said to be 2697–2597 BC. One day, the Emperor played music from Dongting Lake (洞庭湖) and spoke about his understanding of universal rules, offering a profound insight into the mystic ways of change and transformation.

Appreciation:

It was the year 1100. After seven years of what one might politely call "forced retirement" on the tropical island of Hainan—then considered a death sentence—Dongpo finally received a pardon. The New Law and the New Party had, to everyone's relief, including perhaps their own, exhausted themselves. Su Shi and his fellow survivors were back on the Court's agenda.

He was sixty years old and only wished to settle in his beloved Changzhou, far from the political circus. Unfortunately, those seven years of tough living in the southern wilderness had taken their toll. He would have barely a year left to enjoy his newfound freedom. So this poem—written amidst the turmoil, heading north—is one of his last.

The excitement is unmistakable. Banishment to Hainan was, for all practical purposes, a quiet death warrant. To sail away from it was to be reborn. The opening seascape—clear skies, bright moon, shining waves—is not just a weather report. It is the mirror of a man watching his own spirit lift.

The final lines? Pure Dongpo. No bitterness. No revenge fantasy. Just a quiet, almost amused acknowledgment: You sent me to the edge of the world to break me. Instead, I had the most extraordinary journey of my life. Thank you. One imagines his enemies, had they read this, feeling vaguely cheated.

Reference:

1. baikebaidu.com 百度百科

2. picture from 每日头条--梧桐树边羽