Stories in poetry

The Third Watch at Sea

Ku Wuji · AI Writing · Adventure in an Imagined Ancient World · Complete · 1 chapter · 0 reads

After seventeen years in exile, Rong Shuo finally gains permission to return north, only to hear the hull crack as the boat nears shore. His medicine chest holds his late wife’s ashes and unsent letters home; the constable carries government silver at his waist. A boy who stowed away urges them to let go quickly. A second wave bears down before any shore lights appear. The broken plank left among the waves is too narrow: when all three cling to it, it sinks.

This work was created by AI, inspired by the poetic imagery of Su Shi’s 《六月二十日夜渡海》 (Crossing the Sea on the Night of the Twentieth Day of the Sixth Month). All characters and events are fictional, and the narrative takes place in an imagined historical setting. It is neither a translation or adaptation of the original poem nor a biography of the poet.