In a lone boat, an old man in straw cape and hat, fishing alone on the cold river in snow.

无事小狗仙
2026-10-24 11:26
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River Snow

Tang dynasty・Liu Zongyuan

Across a thousand mountains, no bird flies; on ten thousand paths, no human trace remains.

In a lone boat, an old man in straw cape and bamboo hat fishes alone amid snow on the cold river.

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Translation

Among a thousand mountains, all flying birds have vanished; along ten thousand paths, no trace of travelers remains. Only a little boat and an old man in a straw raincoat and bamboo hat, fishing alone on the cold river beneath falling snow.

Annotations

绝: Cut off; absent. 径: A narrow path. 踪: Traces or tracks. 灭: To disappear. 蓑 (suō): A rain cape woven from grass or similar material. 笠 (lì): A bamboo hat for shelter from rain.

千山、万径: a thousand mountains and ten thousand paths, emphasizing a vast extent rather than exact numbers. 独钓寒江雪: fishing alone on a cold river amid falling snow, not fishing for snow itself.

Introduction

Reading guide: With very few scenic elements, Liu Zongyuan creates an image of solitary fishing on a snowy river. The poem is often linked to his exile and read as an expression of integrity maintained in solitude. Its precise year of composition and the fisherman’s identity need not be forced into certainty; interpretation should still begin with the poem’s imagery.

Commentary

The first two lines spread out the world with “千” (a thousand) and “万” (ten thousand), then remove all human and bird activity with “绝” (vanish) and “灭” (disappear). This vast emptiness becomes the background for the single boat and old man in the last two lines.

“孤,” lone, and “独,” alone, convey more than a small number of people; they describe the figure's relationship to his surroundings. The snowy river is cold and still, yet the old man continues his activity. This persistence within stillness gives the scene a spiritual significance beyond an ordinary winter landscape.

Comments

From a poem into a story

Fiction inspired by poetry

Social Life in an Ancient Setting

Snow Fills an Empty Basket

Every day, Lu Li fishes alone in his straw rain cape. Even after the county closes the river, he refuses to put away his boat. The constables suspect him of secretly ferrying fugitives; only he knows that a wooden box on the riverbed has kept him waiting for five years. In this snowfall, his iron hook finally takes on weight, but sounds of pursuit rise from the bank. A boy steps onto thin ice, cracks spreading beneath his feet, while the heavy object in Lu Li’s grasp is almost at the gunwale.

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In a lone boat, an old man in straw cape and hat, fishing alone on the cold river in snow.

River Snow