Only a river separates Jingkou from Guazhou, and Zhongshan is just a few ranges of hills away. The spring wind has greened the banks of Jiangnan once more; when will the bright moon shine on my journey home?

泊: to moor a boat. 瓜洲: an ancient ferry crossing on the north bank of the Yangtze, near present-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu. 京口: present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, across the river from Guazhou. 钟山: Mount Zhong, in present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu. 间: to separate.

绿: to turn the vegetation along the riverbanks green; used here as a verb. 还: to return, referring to the home the poet longs for. This page follows the common reading “春风又绿,” “the spring wind turns green again”; other texts have readings such as “春风自绿,” “the spring wind turns green of itself.”

Reading guide: From where his boat is moored, the poet looks toward Jiangnan. River and mountains express spatial closeness, while a question about the hoped-for return expresses emotional distance. The brightness of the spring riverbank and the enduring longing for home illuminate each other within four short lines.

In the first two lines, “一水” (“one stretch of water”) and “只隔” (“separated only by”) make the distance seen from afar seem small, lending greater urgency to the wish to return home. The geographical description also prepares the emotion.

“绿” (“green,” used as a verb) gives the spring breeze's invisible work tangible form in the color of the entire riverbank. It brings joy at the season's return while prompting the question “我何时还” (“when shall I return?”). The final line addresses the bright moon, entrusting personal concerns to an expansive landscape and leaving the thought unresolved.