(I) <br /> <br />Steering my little boat towards a misty islet, <br />I watch the sun descend while my sorrows grow: <br />In the vast night the sky hangs lower than the treetops, <br />But in the blue lake the moon is coming close. <br /> <br />[translated by William Carlos Williams] <br /> <br />(II) <br /> <br />Night on the Great River <br /> <br />We anchor the boat alongside a hazy island. <br />As the sun sets I am overwhelmed with nostalgia. <br />The plain stretches away without limit. <br />The sky is just above the tree tops. <br />The river flows quietly by. <br />The moon comes down amongst men. <br /> <br />[translated by Kenneth Rexroth] <br /> <br />(III) <br /> <br />Mooring on Chien-te River <br /> <br />The boat rocks at anchor by the misty island <br />Sunset, my loneliness comes again. <br />In these vast wilds the sky arches down to the trees. <br />In the clear river water, the moon draws near. <br /> <br />[translated by Gary Snyder]<br /><br />Meng Hao-jan<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/night-on-the-great-river-three-translations/
