Wine raised toward the slanting sun, I silently question the west wind. Why has all the rouge become color to dye the hibiscus? I gaze across a thousand qing of river at dusk, holding ten thousand hu of parting sorrow, with nowhere for traveling geese to alight. The sky meets the railing’s corner; I lean there between drunkenness and waking.

Across countless miles, north and south of the river, east and west of Zhe. My life is but a temporary lodging; still I dream of chrysanthemums beside my three garden paths. Who among the heroes of the Central Plain will lend me a boat for the Five Lakes, so I may become an old fisherman? Let me turn once more toward my homeland; let this intention not be rushed.

Raising my wine toward the setting sun, I silently question the west wind: why have you dyed the hibiscus entirely with rouge-like color? I gaze across a thousand qing of river in the dusk, seemingly filled with ten thousand hu of parting sorrow, leaving even the far-flying geese nowhere to alight. The sky meets one corner of the railing; I lean there, half drunk and half awake.

I have traveled countless miles, hurrying north and south of the Yangtze, east and west of Zhejiang. Life is like a traveler lodging briefly, yet I still think of the chrysanthemums along my garden paths at home. Who among the heroes of the Central Plains can lend me a little boat to roam the Five Lakes and become a fisherman? Yet I must still look back toward my homeland; the thought of retirement cannot be settled so hastily.

斜日: the setting sun. 芙蓉: here, the vivid red flowers of autumn; in classical poetry, the name may refer to either woody hibiscus or lotus. The focus is on their color against the west wind and dusk.

斛（hú）: an ancient measure of capacity. 万斛: ten thousand hu, an exaggeration conveying an immense quantity. 征鸿: wild geese flying far away. 吾生如寄: life is like a temporary lodging.

三径: paths in a recluse's garden, later often standing for rural retirement. 五湖舟楫: an allusion to the legend of Fan Li retiring to roam the Five Lakes by boat after achieving success. 中州: the Central Plains. 故国: one's homeland or country.

Reading guide: This ci poem expresses a traveler's feelings while drinking at a scenic height, moving back and forth between retirement and concern for national affairs. The final line is crucial: imagining himself a fisherman is not a final decision; looking back toward his homeland renews his hesitation about withdrawing.

“万斛离愁,” “ten thousand measures of parting sorrow,” gives an intangible emotion the weight of something filling the river, while “无处落征鸿,” “no place for migrating geese to alight,” gives that congestion a spatial form. The sky at the corner of the railing faces the person waking from wine, composing the still image that closes the first stanza.

In the second stanza, place names spanning ever greater distances convey the toil of constant travel, while the three garden paths and the Five Lakes suggest another possible life. But “且回首” (turn back for a moment) brings a timely turn, showing that the poet still cannot easily sever his concern for worldly affairs; this hesitation gives his feelings depth.