Sunrise on Huampu River
Sunrise on Huampu River - meaning Summary
Morning Bustle and Renewal
The poem presents a lively morning scene on the Huampu River, observing boats, tugs and liners as they move, jostle and wait. Industrial details — wharves, chimney stacks, smoke — sit alongside natural imagery of the rising sun. Personified vessels and rhythmic motion convey communal activity and orderly chaos. The final image of sunlight streaking the water frames the scene as a daily renewal, a simple celebration of work and the new day.
Read Complete AnalysesOh! the Huampu River Is full of life. It’s busy boats Going from there to there. Fussy tugs, like clucking hens Shooing their sister boats, Out of their way. Transport boats Link together, like strings of beads, Cluttering the waterway. Overseas liners, proud and aloof, Stand immobile At their wharves, Waiting for their sister tugs, To get them moving. On shore, Chimney stacks, Billow smoke into the still air. The sun rises over the horizon, Streaking the river With reflections of gold, Heralding, The birth of another day.
Shanghai, September 23, 1984
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