One Thought, a Mortal Life · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 12 / 102
· The
Resting idle at the bow, I pick up a leaf and listen; the boat girl's song passes softly through the empty wood. The clear ripples change key to the joys of fishing; a hundred birds race after the beat of the struck fou.
Notes—
Ai nai [ǎi nǎi]: the sound of a sculling oar; the sound of singing while rowing; by extension, a song carrying long and lilting;
Raoji [ráo jī]: a girl of a boatman's family;
Fou [fǒu]: fou is also written 缻. 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.
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