Getting Up at Night in a Boat

by Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101, aka. Su Dongpo 蘇東坡),

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

“Getting Up at Night in a Boat” 舟中夜起

by Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037-1101, aka. Su Dongpo 蘇東坡),

2nd year of Yuanfeng 作于元丰二年 (1079) on Lake Taihu 太湖

on the way from Xuzhou to Huzhou Zhizhou 由徐州调赴湖州知州途中

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As a light breeze rustles the reeds and cattails,

I open the hatch to watch the rain, only to see the lake is flooded by moonlight. 

Boatmen and waterfowls alike are lost in their dreams, 

A large fish, startled, scurries away like a fox fleeing. 

This late at night, people and creatures stay quiet,

Alone, I amuse myself with my shadows. 

As the tide draws quietly on the shoreline, cold earthworms creep along, 

The moon setting amid willows looks like a spider hanging in a cobweb. 

Suddenly, I am filled with a sense of disquiet and unease, 

The vivid scene passing right before my eyes vanishes in the blink of an eye. 

Cocks crow, bells resound, flocks of birds flutter away, 

A drum is struck at the boat’s prow and calls out its response. 

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Deep gratitude to Professor Steven Heine, Director of the Asian Studies Program at Florida International University, for sending me this translation. You can listen to our podcast The Mysticism of Dogen’s Zen where he discusses the significance of this poem in relation to Dogen Zenji’s teaching and practice.