I rinse my mouth in the water and wash my feet.
In front, I face an old man angling for fish:
How many in all are those who lusted for bait
And now vainly long to be “east of the lotus leaves.”
translated by Hugh M. Stimson
Author: zdunno03
Seeing Someone Off by Wang Wei
Dismounting, I offer you wine
And ask, “Where are you bound?”
You say, “I’ve found no fame or fortune;
I must return to rest in the South Mountain.”
You leave, and I ask no more–
White clouds drift on and on.
translated by Irving Y. Lo
Red Peonies by Wang Wei
Such radiance of green,
so casual and composed;
The tint of her dress
Blends crimson with pink.
The heart of a flower
is nearly torn with grief:
Will spring’s brilliance
ever know her heart?
translated by Irving Y. Lo
from Douglas Moore’s blog Art of Quotation
from Douglas Moore’s Art of Quotation
centuries later
even in dreams
centuries later
you are
incomplete
a hole
inside you
what delusion
drove me
to think
I could ever
fill it
another translation from the Chinese by Mary Tang on her blog Life is But This
A good rain knows its season Fostering life in Spring Stealthily it enters the night with a breeze Softly and silent it bedews all things Dark clouds shadow this unlit path Only a flicker from a boat by the river When dawn stains red the rain soaked wet Jin Guan City will be […]
via Glad Rain on a Spring Night by Du Fu (712-770) — Life is But This 命
from Douglas Moore’s blog Art of Quotation
reaching for the future
well
I tried
the lady
and the tiger
survived both
more or less
intact
so now
I’m eyeing
door number 3
and thinking
whatever I’ve got
to lose
I’ve already lost
and with that thought
firmly implanted
in what’s left
of this brain
I stride forward
hand outstretched
reaching for the future
door number 3
what you stand upon
it’s the ankles
really
slender shapely
connecting those lovely feet
to those long legs
not to mention
the knees
friends say
I’m a leg man
who am I
to deny
what history has
proved to be true
in your case
naturally
a reaffirmation
of my predilection
for ankles
and knees
and all they connect
to what you stand upon
smiling at me
Leonard Durso 