Stone cliffs and clumps of bamboo,
river pavilions and small towers—
the sound of the rapids clarifies the traveler’s dreams;
in the shadow of the lamp the poet’s sadness grows.
The first day of spring has vanished,
and soon the full-moon festival will pass.
What is making me unhappy,
making me knit my brow like this?
translated by Jonathan Chaves
Beautiful 🙂
Glad you like it.
1. How long ago was this poem written
2. What an amazingly open ended question! (And have you ever noticed that on a standard keyboard the exclamation mark is as far opposite the question mark as it could possibly be?)
This poet lived in the 12th Century during the Sung Dynasty. And now that you mention it, seems natural that they should be on opposite ends.