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…
Tag: poem
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…
Playing a Guqin
Nostalgia and an old fashioned love song. To the accompaniment of the wind blowing through tthe pine trees and the sound of water pouring over stones in a nearby creek, our 8th century Tang poet, Liu Changqing plays a favorite tune on the guqin (琴, qin, 古琴 guqin, a seven string zither-like instrument) . And…
Spring Again — 2023
Chang’an, 740s Li Bai, the Tang dynasty’s new, young Rock Star poet, is at the imperial court in Chang’an, writing poems to please the Emperor Xuanzong and his concubine, the lovely Yang Guifei. An earlier translation, Spring Thoughts. In SpringIn Yan the grass is thin as silk and blue,In Qin the mulberry bows down with…
Spring Poem, Bai Juyi
Spring Poem If she turned and asked, would her parrot say why she is sad? The Tang poet, Bi Juyi (白居易, 772–846) gives us this image in Spring of a girl standing on the porch outside her bedroom. The flowers in the trees are blooming, but furrowed eyebrows show the sorrow in her heart. As…
East of Town
East of Town East of Town by Wei Yingwu probably refers to beautiful Suzhou where Wei was governor in his last posting before his death. Wei Yingwu (韋應物 ca. 737-792), wrote many of his poems in the style of the earlier five-character poet Tao Qian, (365-427), who was, for much of his life, a recluse….
A New Year’s Resolution
Climbing White Stork Tower by the Tang poet Wang Zhihuan (688–742) is often recited by schoolchildren in class. The poem expresses the idea that one who wants to shine in class and travel further in life will work a little harder. Climbing White Stork Tower The bright sun is surrounded by mountains,The Yellow River flows…
100 Tang Poems 