Prelude to Water Melody · Swimming
(June 1956)

Just drank Changsha water,
Now taste Wuchang fish.
Ten thousand li across the Yangtze I swim,
Gazing far into the open Chu sky.
Heedless of wind and waves,
Better than strolling in a quiet courtyard,
Today I find ample ease.

The Master on the river said:
"Thus do things flow away!"
Sails stir,
Tortoise and Snake are still,
A grand plan rises.
A bridge will fly from north to south,
The heavenly moat become a thoroughfare.
Further, a stone wall will stand on the western river,
To cut off the clouds and rain of Witch Mountain,
A smooth lake will emerge from the high gorge.
The Goddess should be unharmed,
And marvel at the changed world.