A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 12 / 102
Ai Nai Qu · The Hour of the Rooster
Resting idly at the bow, I pick up a leaf and listen; the boat girl's song sweeps along the path through the empty wood. Clear ripples change the tune to the pleasure of fishing; a hundred birds chase one another at the sound of the struck fou.
Notes—
Ai nai [ǎi]: the sound of a sculling oar; the sound of singing while rowing; by extension, a song carrying long and lilting;
Raoji [ráo]: a girl of a boatman's family;
Fou [fǒu]: fou is also written with the variant character. According to the Shuowen Jiezi: 'The fou is an earthenware vessel, used to hold wine; the people of Qin drummed upon it to keep time with their songs.' The fou was an ancient Han Chinese clay instrument, and the striking of the fou is mentioned many times in China's ancient texts.
*This is an original work. If you reproduce it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original illustrator Hehewu.