Spring Dawn Meng Haoran (689/691–740) Asleep in spring, unconscious of the dawn,The chirp chirp song of birds is everywhere.Last night the thunder, wind, and rain came long—How many blossoms now remain out there? Chinese 春曉孟 浩 然 春眠不覺曉處處聞啼鳥夜來風雨聲花落知多少 Pronunciation Chūn XiǎoMèng Hàorán Chūn mián bù jué xiǎoChǔ chǔ wén tí …
Read MoreAnchored at Jiande River
Meng Haoran This anchored boat’s astir in fog and breeze,As sunset rends my fears up once again,But as the sky descends beneath the trees,The river, moon, and quiet become my friends. Chinese Pronunciation 宿建德江 Sù jiàn dé jiāng 移舟泊煙渚， Yí zhōu …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “Morning Cold Above the River: Reminiscing” (300 Tang Poems #132)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 Morning Cold Above the River: Reminiscing 早寒江上有懷 Leaves fall from trees as wild geese go south; 木落 雁南渡 The northern wind is cold above the river. 北風 江上寒 The Xiang River winds about my house 我家 襄水曲 As I am …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “A Farewell to Official Wang Wei” (300 Tang Poems #131)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 A Farewell to Official Wang Wei 留別王侍御維 Still, quiet— why wait anymore? 寂寂 竟何待 Morning after morning, the Royal Court—I come back empty. 朝朝 空自歸 Desiring to seek more fragrant grass, I leave 欲尋 芳草去 With sorrow for the old …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “Staying Overnight by Tree Hut River” (300 Tang Poems #130)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 Staying Overnight by Tree Hut River: A Poem for an Old Friend in Broad Hill City 宿桐廬江 寄廣陵舊遊 The mountain is dark; in grief, I listen to the apes 山暝 聽猿愁 As the dark blue river rushes through the night. …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “Feeling Autumn in the Midst of Qin” (300 Tang Poems #129)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 Feeling Autumn in the Midst of Qin: A Poem for Monk Yuan 秦中感秋 寄遠上人 I desire a lonely hill to rest in, 一丘 常欲臥 With but three paths to friends, yet it is hardship without wealth. 三徑 苦無資 I desire …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “Stopping By an Old Friend’s Farmhouse” (300 Tang Poems #128)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 Stopping By an Old Friend’s Farmhouse 過故人莊 An old friend prepares a feast of chicken and millet, 故人 具雞黍 Welcoming me to his farmhouse. 邀我 至田家 Green trees and plants, near the village edge, 綠樹 村邊合 The green hills slope …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “At the Year’s End, Returning to Southern Mountain” (300 Tang Poems #127)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 At the Year’s End, Returning to Southern Mountain 歲暮歸南山 Northern Palace— I will stop submitting my petitions 北闕 休上書 And go back to the Southern Mountain, returning to my worn-out hut. 南山 歸敝廬 I lack talent—the brilliant Emperor tosses me …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “On Purifying the Tombstones Day” (300 Tang Poems #126)
Translation Meng Haoran (689-740) 孟浩然 On Purifying the Tombstones Day, A Banquet at the House of Mei, Daoist Priest 清明日 宴梅道士房 Reclining in the woods, I fret on the end of spring, 林臥 愁春盡 So I open the balcony to view its magnificence. 開軒 覽物華 …
Read MoreMeng Haoran’s “With Several Friends, Climbing Steep Mountain” (300 Tang Poems #125)
Translation Meng Haoran(689-740) 孟浩然 With Several Friends, Climbing Up Steep Mountain 與諸子登峴山 Human affairs wither and grow, 人事 有代謝 Coming and going, from ancient to modern. 往來 成古今 The rivers and mountains are footprints that remain, 江山 留勝跡 And are what my my friends and …
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