Coming Home 2, He Zhizhang

Coming Home to Shaoxing, Zhizhang Province Having been away 50 years, He Zhizhang is coming home. This is the second of two poems written by He Zhizhang after retiring from the Imperial Court in Chang’an and returning to his birthplace near Daxianglin National Park (大香林) in Shaoxing, Zhizhang Province. Coming Home, Accidental Poem II I…

On Mt. Langya

On Mt. Lanya, looking for Shen and Biao Day turns into night. Looking down on the treetops of Mt. Langya, Wei Yingwu watches first as water fall from a cliff, sparkling in the sunlight, and later, the pale moonlight. On Mt. Langya, Looking For Shen and Biao, Two Disciples of Buddha White clouds envelop the…

East of Town

Wei Yingwu, East of TownSuzhou, China, 8th CenturyIn the green hills along the eastern shore of the lake where the willow play in the wind. Wei Yingwu came from a prestigious family. His civil service included being a bodyguard to the Emperor Xuanzong, magistrate in two districts, then governor of three provinces Chuzhou (784), Jiangzhou…

West of the Creek at Chuzhou

Chuzhou, China, 784At the western edge of the Yangtze River Delta. Twilight, after the rain, a raging stream, an abandoned ferry and a drifting boat. Our poet delights in the wildflowers at the edge of bank. West of the Creek at ChuzhouAlone, I tenderly love the wildflowers tucked in along the creek,And deep in the…

Pity the Peasant

Pity the poor peasant who toils away and is left with nothing to eat. If there was ever a revolutionary poem to inspire the oppressed farmers, the proletariat, the workers of the world, this is it. The author is the Tang dynasty poet, Li Shen (李紳, died 846), imperial official, governor, and poet. pity the…

I blame myself

The fault is mine The fault is mine, I drank, I’m drunk, and now I’m in this sorry state. Albert Einstein famously said, “Doing the same thing, expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity.” And drinking too much leads to a familiar crazy result. Last night I drank too much with friends….

Du Qiuniang

Repetition and rhyme are the outstanding features of this short poem by Du Qiuniang, the only female poet included in the Anthology of 300 Tang Poems. My advice, cherish not your gold threaded clothesMy advice, cherish your youthFlowers exist to be looked at,Flowers ought to be picked. 勸君莫惜金縷衣，勸君須惜少年時。有花堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝。 Quàn jūn mò xī jīn lǚ yī,…

As I Listen to Master Ying

As I Listen to Master Ying by Han Yu Have you heard Master Ying? [Western music lovers might ask this question of Yo-Yo Ma or Itzak Perlman; in China of the violinists Lyu Siqing and Liu Yunzhi, or the late, Sheng Zhongguo. China also has many famous Qin players (the subject of this poem). Li…

Drinking Then Waking at Night

Not a symphony, a cacophony A familiar problem to those who drink too much a party, falling asleep and waking up, all through the night. Drinking Then Waking up at Night, a poem by Bai Juyi (白居易772 – 846). Drinking Then Waking up at Night. At dusk, after drinking, I went home to lie down,In…

A Parting Gift from a Nanjing Wineshop

A parting gift for his friends. Suddenly, every one of your senses kicks in, everything seems more real, and final. Li Bai’s Parting Gift from a Nanjing Wineshop, modified from its original three line, six verses of seven characters. Jinling wineshop, a parting giftA willow-like scent floats in the air asfinger-like flowers drift in the…