Swallows Come to the Boat [Tang Dynasty] Du Fu
When a guest from Hunan travels through the spring, the swallow carries mud twice in its mouth. I used to go to my hometown and get to know the Lord, but now I am seeing people from afar. It's so pitiful to be in a nesting room everywhere, so fluttering and caressing this body. For a moment, the ship's rafters are still up, and the flowers and water are soaked in the towel. Writing about birds, lyrical translation and annotations
Translation I have been wandering in Hunan as a guest for a whole spring, and now the swallows are building their nests here for the second time. You used to know me as the master when you came to my hometown, but now on the day of the Spring Society, you see me as a stranger from afar. It's a pity that you have made nests everywhere but have no place to settle down. You are no different from me wandering around in the world. The man on the mast was talking to me temporarily, but he still had to fly away, wearing flowers and water, and I couldn't help but shed more tears and wet my clothes.
Note Hunan: South of Dongting Lake, here refers to Tanzhou. Moving through spring: I experience another spring at every turn. Move, unconsciously. Twice new: Du Fu came to Tanzhou in the spring of the fourth year of the Dali calendar (769). It was already the second Cuntian, and it was the second time I saw a swallow carrying mud in its mouth. Hometown: refers to the poet's former residence in Luoyang and Chang'an. Sheri: The fifth Wu day after the beginning of spring. This day is when people worship gods and pray for a good harvest. Seeing people from a distance: refers to still knowing oneself and looking at oneself from a distance. Nest room: Refers to the fact that swallows make nests on the beams of other people's houses. Appreciation
The first four sentences of the poem always describe the arrival of a guest in a boat.
"Spring comes to Hunan for guests, and the swallows swallow mud twice." The poet living in Hunan does not feel that he has ushered in the second spring. "New" versus "mud". Swallows often pick up wet mud from the water's edge in spring to build their new nests. "Twice new" means that the poet has seen swallows building nests in mud twice here. Ancient people had far closer direct contact with animals and plants than modern people, and they also observed animals and plants very carefully. They are accustomed to giving different symbolic meanings to various creatures according to their characteristics. Swallows are born in spring and live in nest beams, so they are often regarded as a symbol of spring. Their chirping and flying remind people of the joy of living leisurely and peacefully.
Creative background