I was born a rover by the lake's broad side,
Where my dwelling looks on waves stretching far and wide.
Sometimes I seek a painted boat to break through misty water,
With reeds and cattails lining the path, lotus flowers scent the air.
The whole stream, deep and serene, marvels at red knotweed,
While reed catkins on both banks gleam with autumn frost indeed.
Gulls and egrets come and go daily by the vessel's head,
On the creek, wind and moon greet me as I am led.
Once I took office, I lost touch with this scene,
Yet closing my eyes, I see Lingyun's spring pond, serene.
The bustling wild ducks and geese are truly a bore,
Names scribbled at the document's tail, valued less or more.
Official documents are, after all, too vulgar a thing,
But the rivers and lakes, once reached, are hard to forget, they cling.
Luckily, after duties, I have a few rafters here,
With sparse lattice windows in two rows, like a ship's gear.
Unaware of the perils on the world's stormy way,
Steady with ten thousand bushels, I sail with the wind's sway.
When will life's short awning draw near to its destined shore?
From former Tiaozha now to Kuocang, I explore.
Rivers and mountains turn their helms for thousands of miles,
Old friends in two distant places gaze with longing smiles.
Who can conjure bamboo leaves for me, in a magical art,
To instantly turn my dwelling into a boat, and from Canglang depart?
I rely only on my lifelong spirit of lakes and seas,
Making wherever I dwell my vessel, sailing with ease.
The cold night fills the moonlit window to the brim,
North wind beats on my head, yet I feel no haste, nor whim.
Action, after all, is not as good as quietude,
Regrets and faults don't approach the empty boat's latitude.
My bosom holds five lakes and three rivers vast,
In their depths, who can fathom which horizon is passed?
I must summon the likes of Li and Guo, without delay,
To roam together with them in the land of Nowhere, come what may.