This 10-stanza poem was written in 1971 when Gu Cheng was only 15; it is a poem from among the ones he “wrote on the riverbank with twigs” (Gu xii). However, its publication and warm acceptance by the public in 1979 proves that what is expressed in this poem found a ready echo in Chinese readers; even today some of its lines are frequently quoted and recognized as a register of his stylistic innovation.

In this poem Gu Cheng relies heavily on imagination, but his novel images are clearly related to natural objects. The poet’s clear sense of optimism, “the resonance between Nature and me” (Gu xiii), and the poet’s rendition of the poet’s true function surface when the poet, touched by nature, expresses his ambition to make his lines known to the world and to share his happiness with (and in) nature.

Considered in view of what later happened to him, the poem appears prophetic. The poet begins by imagining that he embarks on a voyage, his hopes and dreams packed with him. The images of shell, sail, cicada’s chirr, with pictorial vividness and sound, create a beautiful picture of harmony.

The second stanza mirrors the poet’s carefree, suntanned personality and a life characterized by freedom. The lines “let the sunlight cascade / dye my skin black” are frequently quoted because they express an eagerness to be immersed in close contact with nature.

The image of the Sun is personified as the boat tracker in the third stanza. Combined with the previous stanza, the fourth stanza represents the lapse of time, from day to night. The night scene in the next stanza attracts the poet with its charms and the twinkling stars. Gu Cheng’s romantic inspiration is fully exemplified in the following line: “I drop the new moon—golden anchor.”

The next stanza focuses on the overcast day when it is shrouded with gloom. The poet is in awe of the boundlessness of the universe. He imagines that his poems are transmitted to the world in a timeless sense. Here the impressive images are “the golden sheaves of wheat” that form a cradle that harbors “my heart and muse.”

The following stanza romanticizes the acceptance of poems when the poet brings them to greet the world. What is most meaningful are the lines “With my eyes closed / the world and I have no more in common.” The poet says that he strives to make his poems known to different lands in spite of difficulties.

In the next stanza the poet keeps on walking in the scorching sunlight, and his footprints are like seals marking his travel. The last stanza makes clear the poet’s ambition: to create a poem that will echo in the years to come.

Understood in connection with the title, this poem is a romantic rendering of life, of a poet’s life, of a poet’s ambition. He hopes that his poems will be appreciated by people in different lands. The poet’s assertive voice reinforces his ambition. It sounds idyllic and unrealistic, but it fully mirrors Gu Cheng’s strong interest in nature and the natural milieu, which is his realm of inspiration.

Bibliography
Gu, Cheng. Preface. In Selected Poems of Gu Cheng. Translated by Eva Hung. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong (Rendition Paperbacks), 1990.