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Thursday, June 28, 2018

淮上漁者 Fisherman on River Huai



白頭波上白頭翁,Upon the white crested waves, a white-crested wizened fellow,
家逐船移浦浦風。Home is where his boat brings him by the soughing wind.
一尺鱸魚新釣得,And when a foot long perch newly baited,
兒孫吹火荻花中。His offspring and theirs upon dried reeds blew; fire sparks grew; like miscanthus plumes flew.

means bank.  However, 浦浦 here is an onomatopoeia of the wind sound.  In some versions, the first  is replaced by (river).  Then the translation would be, Home is the bank where the wind brings his boat to.

Do you know how difficult it is to burn the even dried feathery blooms of the miscanthus?  So I reject the notion of the family trying to use these dried reed flowers as fuel.