every third thought
that’s what he says
at the end
before heading out
to contemplate the meaning
of it all
and lately it seems
that fine line
we all must cross one day
keeps cropping up
in my world
and though I am thousands
of miles away
I hear the bell toll
lower my eyes first
then raise my hands
palms up
toward heaven
and pause as another soul
passes over
to whatever lies
beyond
Author: zdunno03
Jade Steps Pliant by Hsieh T’iao
Palace at dusk, the pearl blind is lowered,
Drifting fireflies glide and come to rest;
Through the long night I sew a fine silk jacket–
My thoughts of you, when will they end?
translated by Ronald C. Miao
A Spring Song of Tzu-yeh by Hsiao Yen
On the stairway fragrance assails the bosom;
In the garden flowers light the eye.
Once the spring heart is like this,
Love comes without bounds.
translated by Jan W. Walls
In Imitation of Hsü Kan (“Since You Went Away”) by Liu Chün
Since you went away
Gold and green hairpins have lost their glint.
My longing thoughts of you, like sun and moon,
Circling round and round, rise day and night.
translated by Jan W. Walls
untitled Chinese poem 2 by anonymous poet
I cross the river to pluck hibiscus,
In the orchid marsh, many scented plants.
I pluck, but whom should I give them to?
For my love resides in a distant land.
Turning my head, I look toward home,
Along that vast and endless road.
Our hearts are one, yet we dwell apart,
Worrying and grieving till we grow old.
translated by Dell R. Hales
“The Weary Road” Two Sections: Section 2 by Pao Chao
Have you not seen the grasses on the riverbank?
They wither and die in winter, overspread the road in spring.
Have you not seen the sun above the city wall?
It grows dim, sinks, and disappears;
The next day it will come out again.
Now, at what time in my life can I be like this?
Once gone, I’ll forever perish in the Yellow Spring!
Life is full of bitterness and scant in joy;
To be high-sprited belongs to the prime of life.
There’ll always be money at my bedside to buy wine.
To be immortalized in bamboo or silk is not what I want:
Life or death, honor or debasement, I leave to heaven.
translated by Irving Y. Lo
untitled Chinese poem 1 by anonymous poet
Going on always on and on
alive, but parted from you
gone ten thousand miles and more
each to a far edge of the sky
the road is hard and long
with nothing sure about meeting again
Tartar horses lean to the northern wind
Viet birds nest on southern boughs
days advance, the parting grows long
days advance, the sash grows loose
floating clouds hide the bright sun
the wanderer can think of no return
loving you I became old
suddenly the time is late–
enough I speak no more
try hard to stay well
translated by Charles Hartman
it could be worse
sometimes you stand still
rather than walk on
and it works out
maybe not quite like
the way you anticipated
but not quite as bad
as it could have been
a victory of sorts
in a world where victory
is not just infrequent
but fleeting when it comes
so thank whomever whatever
you thank when you give thanks
and check out train schedules
for early departures
the next day
“The Weary Road” Two Sections: Section One by Pao Chao
Water spilled on level ground
Runs east, west, south or north, and whichever way it pleases.
A man’s life is also governed by fate,
Then why must we always sigh as we journey and grieve as we sit?
Drink your wine to please yourself;
Raise your cup and forswear singing “The Weary Road.”
But since a man’s heart isn’t wood or stone,
How could it be without feeling?
Thus I weep, I hesitate, I dare not speak.
translated by Irving Y. Lo
Song of Woe by Shen Yüeh
The wanderer was in love with the spring of the year
And the spring in love with the wanderer.
Languid sunbeams in the morning draped their splendor,
Gentle dew at dawn lay frozen by the ford.
Seasonal bird songs lilted through the new=grown leaves
While scented airs were stirring in the early duckweed.
Then one morning found me far from my old home,
Ten thousand li had come between me and that dawn.
translated by Richard B. Mather
Leonard Durso 