Lovelorn, I tread; madly I scream.
My loved one is my only dream;
I wake and plunge into deep gloom.
Come, see what love has done to me.
translated by Talat S. Halman
Month: June 2014
Love Tomorrow by Talat S. Halman
We shall love tomorrow
Red poppies will burst open in a mirage
Ending the pigeon’s night solitude
Tomorrow we shall love
Our moonbeams the envy of heaven’s light
And rain a downpour up to the sun
We shall love tomorrow
Hydrangeas will no longer suffer thirst
With the sea and the wind galleons will soar to God
We shall love
tomorrow
translated by the author
Spring Day by Chu Hsi
Along the Ssu River it’s a fine day for blossoms
the landscape is endless and suddenly new
I recognize the East Wind’s familiar face
a thousand pinks and purples and everywhere spring
translated by Red Pine
Spring Night by Su Shih
A spring night hour is worth a ton of gold
the pure scent of flowers the moon’s pale light
music from the terrace finer than silk
swinging in the courtyard far into the night
translated by Red Pine
Listening to the Sound of Water on the Chialing River: To Master Shen by Wei Ying-wu
A torrent shoots through carved-out cliffs
the work of Yu the Sage they say
all night it echoed at the inn below
where I lodged alone unable to sleep
the nature of water is said to be stillness
and rocks are essentially silent
so why when these two clash
do they wake the whole mountain with thunder
I send this to my friend of the Way
wherein you will find my feelings
translated by Red Pine
crossing the Bosphorus
amid the cries
for cay tost
an accordion
playing a Strauss waltz
such is life
crossing the Bosphorus
on a Thursday afternoon
remembering Santa Monica Pier or reaching for the brass ring
there were homemade
potato chips
benches to read on
a sea breeze
my dog asleep
at my feet
that beautiful carousel
and the promise
of a brass ring
a hand outstretched
across what was
a lifetime
and you
and happiness
just out of reach
and me
riding a wooden horse
up and down
around
through eternity
on lessons in life: dealing with it or the buck stops here
sometimes
a problem pops up
and you have three choices
ignore it
maybe it’ll go away
ask someone else
what to do about it
so you don’t have to
make a decision
on your own
and thus be responsible
or else deal with it
not the easiest option
but ultimately
the one that helps you
grow
and be the adult
you claim to be
Thinking of the Past at Changmen Gate by Wei Ying-wu
A lone bird lands on a towering tree
having heard from afar of the gardens of Wu
lamenting the history of a thousand years
at sunset I lean against Changmen Gate
translated by Red Pine
Autumn Night: To Supernumerary Ch’iu Twenty-two by Wei Ying-wu
Out walking and singing of cooler days
I think of you on this autumn night
pinecones falling on deserted slopes
the recluse I suspect not yet asleep
translated by Red Pine
Leonard Durso 