Peach Blossom Journey

Fishing boat pursue water love hill spring

　　Both banks peach blossom arrive ancient river crossing

　　Travel look red tree not know far

　　Travel furthest blue stream not see people

　　Mountain mouth stealthy move begin cave profound

　　Mountain open spacious¹ view spin flat land

　　Far see one place accumulate cloud tree

　　Nearby join 1000 homes scattered² flower bamboo

　　Firewood person first express Han surname given name

　　Reside person not change Qin clothing clothing

　　Reside person together live Wu Ling source

　　Still from outside outside build field orchard³

　　Moon bright pine below room pen quiet

　　Sun through cloud middle chicken dog noisy

　　Surprise hear common visitor contend arrive gather

　　Compete lead back home ask all town

　　At brightness alley⁴ alley sweep blossom begin

　　Approach dusk fisher woodman via water return

　　Beginning reason evade⁵ earth leave person among

　　Change ask god immortal⁶ satisfy not return

　　Gorge⁷ inside who know be human affairs

　　World middle far gaze sky cloud hill

　　Not doubt magic place hard hear see

　　Dust heart not exhaust think country country

　　Beyond hole not decide away hill water

　　Leave home eventually plan far travel spread

　　Self say pass through old not lost

　　Who know peak gully now arrive change

　　Now only mark entrance hill deep

　　Blue stream how many times reach cloud forest

　　Spring come all over be peach blossom water

　　Not know immortal source what place search

　　A fisher's boat chased the water into the coveted⁸ hills，

　　Both banks were covered in peach blossom at the ancient river crossing.

　　He knew not how far he sailed， gazing at the reddened trees，

　　He travelled to the end of the blue stream， seeing no man on the way.

　　Then finding a crack in the hillside， he squeezed through the deepest of caves，

　　And beyond the mountain a vista⁹ opened of flat land all about！

　　In the distance he saw clouds and trees gathered together，

　　Nearby amongst a thousand homes flowers and bamboo were scattered.

　　A wood-gatherer was the first to speak a Han-era name，

　　The inhabitants' dress was unchanged since the time of Qin.

　　The people lived together on uplands above Wu Ling river，

　　Apart from the outside world they laid their fields and plantations¹⁰.

　　Below the pines and the bright moon， all was quiet in the houses，

　　When the sun started to shine through the clouds， the chickens and dogs gave voice.

　　Startled to find a stranger amongst them， the people jostled around，

　　They competed to invite him in and ask about his home.

　　As brightness came， the lanes had all been swept of blossom，

　　By dusk， along the water the fishers and woodsmen returned.

　　To escape the troubled world they had first left men's society，

　　They live as if become immortals¹¹， no reason now to return.

　　In that valley they knew nothing of the way we live outside，

　　From within our world we gaze afar at empty clouds and hills.

　　Who would not doubt that magic place so hard to find，

　　The fisher's worldly heart could not stop thinking of his home.

　　He left that land， but its hills and rivers never left his heart，

　　Eventually he again set out， and planned to journey back.

　　By memory， he passed along the way he'd taken before，

　　Who could know the hills and gullies had now completely changed？

　　Now he faced only the great mountain where he remembered the entrance，

　　Each time he followed the clear stream， he found only cloud and forest.

　　Spring comes， and all again is peach blossom and water，

　　No-one knows how to reach that immortal place.