You just came from my old village
so you know all about village affairs.
When you left, outside my window,
was it in bloom–that winter plum?
translated by David Hinton
8th Century Chinese poetry
Autumn Spring by Hsüeh T’ao
The cold hue newly clears, a belt of haze;
The mysterious sound gurgles afar, the ten-stringed lute.
Endlessly to my pillow they come, to draw thoughts of love,
Not letting this pensive soul half the night to sleep.
translated by Eric W. Johnson
Overlooking The Desert by Tu Fu
Clear Autumn. I gaze out into
Endless spaces. The horizon
Wavers in bands of haze. Far off
The river flows into the sky.
The lone city is blurred with smoke.
The wind blows the last leaves away.
The hills grow dim as the sun sets.
A single crane flies late to roost.
The twilit trees are full of crows.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Country Cottage by Tu Fu
A peasant’s shack beside the
Clear river,the rustic gate
Opens on a deserted road.
Weeds grow over the public well.
I loaf in my old clothes. Willow
Branches sway. Flowering trees
Perfume the air. The sun sets
Behind a flock of cormorants,
Drying their black wings along the pier.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
South Wind by Tu Fu
The days grow long, the mountains
Beautiful. The south wind blows
Over blossoming meadows.
Newly arrived swallows dart
Over the steaming marshes.
Ducks in pairs drowse on the warm sand.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
On Dewdrop by Wei Ying-wu
A drop of dew on an autumn lotus leaf,
In a clear night it falls from the dark heavens.
On this jade plate it comes to rest;
Only because it’s unsettled, we know it to be round.
translated by Irving Y. Lo
New Moon by Tu Fu
The bright, thin, new moon appears,
Tıpped askew in the heavens.
It no sooner shines over
The ruined fortress than the
Evening clouds overwhelm it.
The Milky Way shines unchanging
Over the freezing mountains
Of the border. White frost covers
The garden. The chrysanthemums
Clot and freeze in the night.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Full Moon by Tu Fu
Isolate and full, the moon
Floats over the house by the river.
Into the night the cold water rushes away beyond the gate.
The bright gold spilled on the river is never still.
The brilliance of my quilt is greater than precious silk.
The circle without blemish.
The empty mountain without sound.
The moon hangs in the vacant, wide constellations.
Pine cones drop in the old garden.
The senna trees bloom.
The same clear glory extends for ten thousand miles.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Snow Storm by Tu Fu
Tumult, weeping, many new ghosts.
Heartbroken, aging, alone, I sing
To myself. Ragged mist settles
In the spreading dusk. Snow skurries
In the coiling wind. The wineglass
Is spilled. The bottle is empty.
The fire has gone out in the stove.
Everywhere men speak in whispers.
I brood on the uselessness of letters.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Clear After Rain by Tu Fu
Autumn, cloud blades on the horizon.
The west wind blows from ten thıousand miles.
Dawn, in the early morning air,
Farmers busy after a long rain.
The desert trees shed their few good leaves.
The mountain pears are tiny but ripe.
A tartar flute plays by the city gate.
A single wild goose climbs into the void.
translated by Kenneth Rexroth
Leonard Durso 