Red as a peach with a smile on her face,Face with a smile as a peach in her place.Willow that hangs and shakes its drapery low,Low is the willow that hangs as the wind does flow.Wavers the blossom as wind and hair entwine,Entwines the hair …
Read MoreMiscellaneous Verse
You who’ve come and seen my hometown hueWould know the news from there, I must presume:That day you left, outside the window view,Had winter’s plums begun to wear their bloom? Chinese Pronunciation 雜詩 Zá Shī 君自故鄉來， Jūn zì gù xiāng lái， …
Read MoreYearning
Away in southern lands the red beans layAs spring returns to send its blooms above;Desiring you I pluck a big bouquet,To hold a thing that marks our tender love. Chinese 相思 紅豆生南國，春來發幾枝。願君多采擷，此物最相思。 Pronunciation Xiāng Sī Hóng dòu shēng nán guó，Chūn lái fā jī zhī。Yuàn jūn duō cǎi xié，Cǐ wù zuì xiāng …
Read MoreFarewell to a Dear Friend
Within the mountain midst, a farewell scene:I shut my door, the sun begins to set.In spring next year the grass will turn to green,But if you’ll come back here, I know not yet. Chinese 送別 山中相送罷，日暮掩柴扉。春草明年綠，王孫歸不歸。 Pronunciation Sòng Bié Shān zhōng xiāng sòng bà，Rì mù yǎn chái fēi。Chūn cǎo nián nián …
Read MoreBamboo Retreat
Alone, I sit serene within a bamboo grove,At ease, I strum the lute and hum a song.Unknown into the forest deep I’ll roveUntil the shining moon has sung along. Chinese 竹里館 獨坐幽篁裡，彈琴復長嘯。深林人不知，明月來相照。 Pronunciation Zhú Lǐ Guǎn Dú zuò yōu huáng lǐ，Dàn qín fù cháng xiào。Shēn lín rén bù zhī，Míng yuè lái …
Read MoreDeer Woods
Inside the empty hills I see no men,The human words I hear are merely echoes.Returning deep within the woods again,The light reflects atop, where green moss grows. Chinese 鹿柴 空山不見人，但聞人語響。返景入深林，復照青苔上。 Pronunciation Lù Chái Kōng shān bù jiàn rén，Dàn wén rén yǔ xiǎng。Fǎn jǐng rù shēn lín，Fù zhào qīng tái shàng。 Literal …
Read MoreSaying Goodbye at a Water Pavilion Feast
Silent night, deserted town,A cold pond and a warehouse wall.The frontier cicadas already buzz,And the tree leaves change for fall.Your road will touch the distant sky,But we’ll sing until the morning call.Unable to watch you leave us behind,The plunging moon like a hook befalls. Original …
Read MoreFor a Hearty Old Man
Eighty years old with nowhere to go, Away and cold, you beg for clothes; Again and again I pity your woes As all is gone, but the wind still blows. Original Chinese poem by Bai Juyi
Read MoreSpring Worries
In spring I fear the summer’s heat, But still it comes to kill the cool. Another year, like a promise fleet, With change, and tied up time, the cruel. Disposed and weak, the blooms retreat, And though I hope, I’ve been a fool: For in …
Read MoreAt the Xinzhou Water Pavilion
At the southern edge, around a turn,The earth is filled by a sea of white;The day has passed, but I haven’t returnedFrom this gardenia trance, both scent and sight. Original Chinese poem by Zhang Hu
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