Mist lifts on the stream in front,
sunlight illumines the mountain behind.
Push away, push away!
The night tide is almost out; soon the morning tide will be coming in.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
Flowers
in profusion adorn the river village; distant hues are best.
The day is hot;
fish jump in the water.
Weigh anchor, weigh anchor!
Seagulls in twos and threes fly back and forth.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
My fishing pole
is ready; did I put the makkŏlli jar on board?
An east wind springs up;
waves get up a lovely swell.
Hoist the sail, hoist the sail!
I leave East Lake behind, move on through to West Lake.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa
The mountain
in front passes by, giving way to the mountain behind.
Is that the cuckoo singing?
Is that the willow grove greening?
Row the boat, row the boat!
A few fisher houses glimmer in and out of the haze.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch’ong, ŏsawa!
Shoaling fish
flash in a clear deep pool.
The reference here is to the song that concludes The Fisherman, ascribed to the Chinese poet, Qu Yuan (ca.300 B.C.)
Gentle sunlight bathes the water;
the waves are like oil.
Row the boat, row the boat!
Should I cast the net; my fishing pole might be better?
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
The song of the fisherman
stirs my heart; I forget all about the fish.
The offices referred to here are prime minister, minister of the right, and minister of the left.
The evening sun slants in the sky;
enough, it's time to go home.
Lower the sail, lower the sail!
Willows and flowers are new at every bend.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
Shall I look
with envy on the three highest offices in the land
or think of the affairs of men?
There are echoes here of a famous Chinese poem, Chuan zi he shang shi, describing a fisherman who has no luck fishing but settles for a boat¬load of moonlight:
The night is quiet, the water cold,
the fish will not bite.
I load my empty boat with moonlight
and come on home.
I long to walk on fragrant grasses,
to pick orchids and gromwells, too.
Heave to, heave to!
What have I loaded in my tiny leaf-like boat?
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
On the way out,
I was alone; on the way back, I have the moon.
The Peach Paradise refers to the utopia discovered by the fisherman in the "Preface to the Peach Blossom Spring" by Tao Yuanming (365-427). The fisherman announces his discovery on his return to the world, but he is unable to find the Peach Paradise again.
Tipsy, I stretch out;
what if I drift through the fast water?
Tie up, tie up!
Petals drift by in the water; the Peach Paradise must be near.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
How well hidden
from the red dust of the world of men!
I hang up my fishing line,
look at the moon through the rush-awning window.
Drop anchor, drop anchor!
Has night fallen already? The cuckoo's call is limpid on the air.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
Excitement
unabated, I forget where I'm going.
Will there be no tomorrow;
how long till the spring night sets? Beach the boat, beach the boat!
My fishing pole is my walking stick as I head for the brushwood gate.
Chigukch'ong, chigukch'ong, ŏsawa!
Days like this
are a fisherman's life.