煙渡無歸 · The Misty Ferry That Never Returns

A man waits at an ancient river landing. In spring he watched her sail away on a light skiff, willow-green along the bank, too little left to say. The ferry returns every season — and every time it brings strangers. Through summer cicadas, autumn geese, winter snow pressing the reeds, he stands at the landing and watches each boat dock. The guzheng opens with flowing river-ripple arpeggios; erhu carries the interior ache; dizi threads the reed-wind between verses; xiao breathes the distance. The chorus crests on the quiet devastation of watching a thousand sails pass — none of them hers.

[引子] 煙水淼淼，蓼岸蒼蒼 古渡頭，秋風涼

[主歌一] 春江送卿去，一葉輕舟搖 渡口楊柳青，執手言語少 問卿幾時還，煙波浩難描 船已過中流，回首無相招

[主歌二] 夏蟬聲漸歇，白蘆簇水邊 渡船日日來，來者皆非卿 秋鳥南飛去，羅衣誰人縫 殘煙冷無香，燈影動秋風

[副歌] 煙渡無歸路，江水自東流 望盡千帆過，帆帆皆非舊 此情無處寄，付與暮雲愁 渡口月孤懸，年年為誰留

[主歌三] 冬雪壓蓼蓼，寒江色如鐵 渡頭人漸稀，獨立候無說 舊跡苔已深，石上刻卿名 字跡半模糊，心中仍分明

[副歌] 煙渡無歸路，江水自東流 望盡千帆過，帆帆皆非舊 此情無處寄，付與暮雲愁 渡口月孤懸，年年為誰留

[橋段] 問渡夫，幾番春秋換 笑而不答，只是搖船緩 江中月，映出兩行淚 誰知此岸，情深如江水

[尾聲] 煙漸散，江天一色寬 渡船遠去無蹤跡 蓼花飛，落盡又一年 古渡頭，月冷人不還