How could I lower my eyebrows, bend my waist to serve those with power and wealth,
And deny myself the joys of a smiling face and a buoyant heart?
translated by Wu-chi Liu
Month: August 2016
turns to grass
empires wax
they wane
the past
will be the present
one day
a lesson
constantly relearned
and ultimately
it all turns
to grass
once in a younger time
once
in a younger time
choices
were so simple
lines
so clearly drawn
that clarity
now forever lost
A Farewell Song Of White Clouds by Li Po (Li Bai)
The white clouds float over the mountains of Chu–
As over the mountains of Chin.
Everywhere the white clouds will follow you on.
They will follow you on everywhere–
With you they will enter the Chu mountains,
And cross the waters of the Hsiang.
Yonder across the waters of the Hsiang,
There is a cloak of ivy to wear,
And you may lie in a bed of white clouds.
Go swiftly home, O my friend!
translated by Shigeyoshi Obata
on hotel advertising
what the junior suite was supposed to have but doesn’t:
air conditioning
ceiling fan
safety deposit box
ironing facilities (???)
landmark view (though maybe those buildings/stores pass for landmarks)
washing machine
soundproofing
what was not advertised but the suite has:
a Jacuzzi
could that be considered “a wash”?
Song: Thoughts of a Traveler on the Chikuma River by Shimazaki Toson
Yesterday it was this way too–
today again it will be like this.
Why fret your life away
forever worrying about tomorrow?
How many times have I gone down into the valley
where dreams of glory and decay still linger,
seen the uncertain drift of the river waves,
sand-laden water that circles and returns?
Ah, what is the old castle saying?
What do the waves along the shore reply?
Be still and consider the ages gone by–
a hundred years are like yesterday
Chikuma River willows are hazy,
spring is shallow, the water flows on.
Alone I wander over the rocks,
binding my sorrows to this shore
translated by Hiroaki Sato & Burton Watson
Oh Gaziantep, Oh Turkey
once
I ate pistachios
in Gaziantep
city of heroes
had baklava
and favored coffee
in pewter cups
ate kıyma kebab
in an Ottoman style restaurant
wandered through Zincirli Bazaar
and Bakırcılar çarşısi
fingering the copperware
beheld the mosaics
in the museum
wandered the ramparts
of Gaziantep Castle
where local warriors
fought the French
in 1920
for Turkish independence
was treated with warmth
and kindness
by the people
on its ancient streets
those streets now
soaked in blood
Oh Gaziantep
Oh Turkey
New Corn by T’ao Ch’ien
Swiftly the years, beyond recall.
Solemn the stillness of this fair morning.
I will clothe myself in spring-clothing
And visit the slopes of the Eastern Hill.
By the mountain-stream a mist hovers,
Hovers a moment, then scatters.
There comes a wind blowing from the south
That brushes the fields of new corn.
translated by Arthur Waley
on drinking white wine: for M
red is healthier they say
but white brings back
thoughts of you
and conversations
sorely missed
in this life of mine
a tiny corner of heaven
standing naked
at 2:30am
in my kitchen
eating cold chicken
olives
an avacado salad
drinking white wine
after reading Pete Hamill
on NYC
no one watching
even the cat asleep
in another room
if that ain’t heaven
at least a tiny corner
of it
I don’t know
what is
Leonard Durso 