Down the bright lane. no carriage that does not follow the rut;
on the somber road, who but ghosts go there?
Sages, wise men–they too have departed–
Hold life close, have no regret!
translated by Burton Watson
Chinese poet
from Substance, Shadow, and Space by T’ao Yüan-ming
Old and young alike die a single death,
wise and foolish are not allotted different fates.
Your daily wine may help you to forget,
but I fear it’s a pasttime that shortens your years.
Doing good, you say, will be your joy?
And who do you think will praise you?
Too much pondering may injure one’s life;
better leave everything to fate.
Go along with the waves in the great process of change,
take no delight in it, have no fear.
When it’s time to fade away, then fade away—
why should you alone be so full of care?
translated by Burton Watson
from Lotus Lake by Ts’ao P’i
Mine is not the long life of Sung or Ch’iao,
who can hope to be immortal like them?
With pleasures I will ease my heart,
take care to live out my hundred years!
translated by Burton Watson
from A Spring Day in the Countryside by Wen T’ing-yün
The feeling of separation, what is there to say
But that the heart is an endless river of stars.
translated by William R. Schultz
The Call of the Cuckoo by Wei Ying-wu
Dew drips from tall trees on a clear summer night
in the hills to the south a cuckoo calls
the widow next door comforts her child
I turn in bed and wait for first light
translated by Red Pine
from Spring Scene by Tu Fu
a letter from home
is worth a fortune
translated by David Young
for some reason a poem I identify with: A Hundred Days, Free to Go by Su Tung-p’o
A hundred days, free to go, and it’s almost spring;
for the years left, pleasure will be my chief concern.
Out the gate, I do a dance, wind blows my face;
our galloping horses race along as magpies cheer.
I face the wine cup and it’s all a dream,
pick up a poem brush, already inspired.
Why try to fix the blame for past trouble?
Years now I’ve stolen posts I never should have had.
translated by Burton Watson
***Written on his release from prison after 130 days and before leaving for a remote post which was essentially like exile again.
