Above the mountain dark and deepThe snow clouds form a floating quill;But though these woods are clear and bright,Inside the town I feel it chill. Chinese Pronunciation 終南望餘雪 Zhōng Nán Wàng Yú Xuě 終南陰嶺秀， Zhōng nán yīn lǐng xiù ， 積雪浮雲端。 …
Read MoreFarewell to Cui
229. Farewell to Cui Pei Di Traversing mountains thin and deepAnd on through hills and dales revered;For just a day you’ll be a manOf Eden, land of love and cheer. Chinese Pronunciation 送崔九 Sòng cuī jiǔ 歸山深淺去， Guī shān shēn qiǎn qù， …
Read MoreLittle Red Peach
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 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 MoreA Fish Released
Money’s freed you, fish, from knife-cut trials,A story that’ll fill all fish and fowl with gratitude.So, Bon Voyage! The Yangtze swells for countless miles,Go swim at ease to peaceful latitudes. Original Chinese poem by Dou Gong
Read MoreReturning to the Lake Pavilion at Night
As the sun dies down I lie in the lake pavilion,Heart disturbed and drawn by various affairs;Sleep ruined, I wake and drink, intoxicated,Sitting and waiting in the cool night air. Rain in the pines has sent my rattan hat afloat,The river wind has pierced my hempen …
Read MoreEarly Spring
Hugging the path in early springWe walk here hand in hand;Though grass has yet to spring to life,To me it’s fresh-laid land. Nothing to do, pursuing the blooms,The willows have taught my mind:Again and again I come and goTo savor a cup of wine. Original poem in …
Read MoreSending Off a Lord to Guizhou, Demoted to a Magistrate
I don’t know the road to Guizhou, but still I send off a former lord Who’s set to travel a thousand miles across the cries of forest apes, To flutter about like a bird that flies throughout the great five lakes. The rulers know nothing, …
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