Out walking and singing of cooler days
I think of you on this autumn night
pinecones falling on deserted slopes
the recluse I suspect not yet asleep
translated by Red Pine
8th Century Chinese poetry
Looking for Chienchi TempleWaterfall by Wei Ying-wu
Treading precipitous rocks I cross the rushing water
and clamber up a towering cliff to enjoy a suspended stream
but seals of office still weigh my body down
if only someone took them back I could cut my worldly ties
translated by Red Pine
Seeing Off Quartermaster Yuan Returning to Kwangling by Wei Ying-wu
With office work slack I can slip away
we like our goodbyes sweet
there’s nothing left where you grew up
you’re going home to another place
the full moon above mountains of Ch’u
the midnight bell in the land of Huai
where will your lone boat anchor
it’s so far my heart turns away
translated by Red Pine
Accompanying Censor Yuan on an Outing in Spring by Wei Ying-wu
Where is that drunken spring wind
west of Ch’ang-an or east
if we hadn’t both resigned
we wouldn’t be here together
in Hsuanping Quarter buying wine on credit
or looking for flowers in Hsiayuan Garden
coming and going on willow-lined paths
still dodging those calico horses of the past
translated by Red Pine
Impromptu by Meng Chiao: posted for certain friends of mine
Keep away from sharp swords,
Don’t go near lovely woman.
A sharp sword too close will wound your hand,
Woman’s beauty too close will wound your life.
The danger of the road is not in the distance,
Ten yards is far enough to break a wheel.
The peril of love is not in loving too often,
A single evening can leave its wound in the soul.
translated by A.C. Graham
Wanderer’s Song by Meng Chiao
The thread in the hand of a kind mother
Is the coat on a wanderer’s back.
Before he left she stitched it close
In secret fear that he would be slow to return.
Who will say that inch of grass in his heart
Is gratitude for all the sunshine of spring?
translated by A.S. Graham
from Alone at Night at My Monastic Residence: To Secretary Ts’ui by Wei Ying-wu
I didn’t realize the year was so late
or living apart was so lonely
translated by Red Pine
Going Down the Lo by Boat from Kunghsien into the Yellow River: To My Colleagues in the Perfecture and County Governments by Wei Ying-wu
The narrow water the green hills and the road lead east
the peaks to the southeast make way for the Great River
leafless trees are indistinct on the far horizon
evening light shimmers and sinks in the flood
how long have I lived in this village on the Yi
the sky clears and a lone goose lands with the North Wind
my dear itinerant colleagues back at Loyang Bridge
my little boat is loose and with it is my heart
translated by Red Pine
On a Moonlit Night Meeting at Hsu Eleven’s Thatched Hut by Wei Ying-wu
In an empty study with nothing to do
you loosened your hair strings and waited for a friend
it wasn’t a night for reading
but for writing poems about the moon
after listening to the bell and sleeping in comfort
we rolled up dew-covered blinds
and sensed another fall was near
while the fading river tried to hold off dawn
translated by Red Pine
In Reply to Commissioner Ts’ui by Wei Ying-wu
A courtyard of bamboo and late-night snow
a lone lantern a book on the table
if I hadn’t encountered the teaching of no effort
how else could I have gained this life of leisure
translated by Red Pine
Leonard Durso 