The sour trace of plums squirts between my teeth
the light green of bananas fills my window screen
waking up at noon without a thought or care
I sit and watch my children chasing willow fuzz
translated by Red Pine
poetry
On the Sanchu Road by Tseng Chi
Plums are yellow and days are sunny
where the river turns shallow I take the trail
the canopy of green doesn’t get less shady
the occasional sound of orioles though is new
translated by Red Pine
Yunus Emre on what love does
Now and then like the winds I blow,
Now and then like the roads I go,
Now and then like the floods I flow,
Come, see what love has done to me.
Hold my hand, lift me from this place
Or take me into your embrace. . .
You made me weep, make me rejoice,
Come, see what love has done to me.
translated by Talat S. Halman
Tell Me Again by Nigar Hanım
Am I your only love–in the whole world–now?
Am I really the only object of your love?
If passions rage in your mind,
If love springs eternal in your heart–
Is it all meant for me? Tell me again.
Tell me right now, am I the one who inspires
All your dark thoughts, all your sadness?
Share with me what you feel, what you think.
Come, my love, pour into my heart
Whatever gives you so much pain.
Tell me again.
translated by Talat S. Halman
Yunus Emre on love’s torment
Lovelorn, I tread; madly I scream.
My loved one is my only dream;
I wake and plunge into deep gloom.
Come, see what love has done to me.
translated by Talat S. Halman
Love Tomorrow by Talat S. Halman
We shall love tomorrow
Red poppies will burst open in a mirage
Ending the pigeon’s night solitude
Tomorrow we shall love
Our moonbeams the envy of heaven’s light
And rain a downpour up to the sun
We shall love tomorrow
Hydrangeas will no longer suffer thirst
With the sea and the wind galleons will soar to God
We shall love
tomorrow
translated by the author
Spring Day by Chu Hsi
Along the Ssu River it’s a fine day for blossoms
the landscape is endless and suddenly new
I recognize the East Wind’s familiar face
a thousand pinks and purples and everywhere spring
translated by Red Pine
Spring Night by Su Shih
A spring night hour is worth a ton of gold
the pure scent of flowers the moon’s pale light
music from the terrace finer than silk
swinging in the courtyard far into the night
translated by Red Pine
Listening to the Sound of Water on the Chialing River: To Master Shen by Wei Ying-wu
A torrent shoots through carved-out cliffs
the work of Yu the Sage they say
all night it echoed at the inn below
where I lodged alone unable to sleep
the nature of water is said to be stillness
and rocks are essentially silent
so why when these two clash
do they wake the whole mountain with thunder
I send this to my friend of the Way
wherein you will find my feelings
translated by Red Pine
Thinking of the Past at Changmen Gate by Wei Ying-wu
A lone bird lands on a towering tree
having heard from afar of the gardens of Wu
lamenting the history of a thousand years
at sunset I lean against Changmen Gate
translated by Red Pine
Leonard Durso 