Thousands of ships were passing by the sunken ship.

This poem comes from Liu Yuxi's "Rewarding Lotte and Seeing Gifts at the First Banquet in Yangzhou" by Liu Yuxi in the Tang Dynasty.

Full text:

Bashan Chushui is a desolate place, abandoned for twenty-three years.

Reciting the poems on the flute in the nostalgic space, when I go to the countryside to read it, I feel like a dead person.

Thousands of sails pass by the side of the sunken boat, and thousands of trees spring in front of the diseased trees.

Today I listen to a song of Junge, and for the time being, I can cheer myself up with a glass of wine.

Translation:

I spent twenty-three years in desolate places like Bashan and Chushui.

Reciting the poem Wen Di in vain in memory of my old friend. After returning from exile for a long time, I feel that the scene is no longer the same as in the past.

Thousands of ships are passing by beside the sunken ship, but thousands of trees are blooming in front of the diseased trees.

I listened to the poem you recited for me today, so let me cheer myself up with this glass of wine.

Extended information:

Creative background:

This poem was written in the second year of Baoli (826) by Emperor Jingzong of the Tang Dynasty. Liu Yuxi returned to Luoyang after serving as the governor of Hezhou. At the same time, Bai Juyi Returning to Luoyang from Suzhou, when the two met for the first time in Yangzhou, Bai Juyi wrote a poem as a gift to Liu Yuxi at the banquet, and Liu Yuxi wrote this poem in reply.

The first couplet of the poem reviews the poet's relegated life in a sad and low mood. The chin couplet uses allusions to imply the long period of time the poet was demoted, expressing the changes in the world and the feeling of unfamiliarity and confusion after his return.

The neck couplet is the emotional sublimation of the whole poem, and it is also an aphorism that has been passed down through the ages. The poet compares himself to a "sinking boat" and a "sick tree", which means that although he has been repeatedly belittled and newcomers emerge in large numbers, he is also gratifying, showing his open-mindedness.

The last couplet clearly points out the meaning of the question and expresses the poet's willingness to re-enter life and his perseverance.