As the holiday approaches, and grasses are bright after rain,
And the causeway gleams with willows, and wheatfields wave in the wind,
We are thinking of our kinfolk, far away from us.
O cuckoo, why do you follow us, why do you call us home?
translated by Witter Bynner & Kiang Kang-hu
Leonard, have you read Han Shan? I recently found a collection called Cold Mountain Poems, with work attributed to Han Shan, Shih Te, and Wang Fan-chih. Amazing stuff.
Hi Jeff,
Yes, I have that book here in Istanbul.
I’ve been reading Asian literature since the 1960s and own many wonderful books in translation, but unfortunately could not bring them all here to Turkey so I’m limited by what I can reread and then share on the blog. Gary Snyder translated another collection from Cold Mountain, too, but that’s in storage in NY.
Maybe one day when I return I’ll be able to unpack everything and lose myself once again in those books.
You are referring to the Burton Watson translation, right?
Reblogged this on Leonard Durso.