I lift my head and watch
The phoenix and the snowy swan
Cross the heavens in their migrations.
Wealth, office, position,
After all these years, mean nothing to me.
The foundered horse no longer
Hopes to travel a thousand miles.
In exile, in autumn,
I grow lazy and indifferent.
In history men have
Always been treated like this.
I am forbidden to visit the Western Lake.
There is no place else I want to go.
The wise man, no matter how he is treated,
Knows that Heaven does nothing without reason.
But nobody can stop me
From writing poems about the
Mountains and rivers of Wu.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Leonard Durso 
Wonderful poem!
Yes, it is, isn’t it? It’s no wonder those poets, and Su Tung P’o among them, still speak to us 1000 years or more later. Glad you liked it.
I was just saying something like this to my sister about our aunt — ok, similar in theme, not in grace, insight or beauty — nonetheless, as you say, these poems do resonate powerfully. Thanks for sharing them with us!
You’re welcome. And because they resonate, I find I keep going back to them. It’s like having a conversation with dear old friends.