The Ballad of War Carts (兵車行), Du Fu

A constant rumble of war cartsAnd never ending horse whinnies Soldiers with bows at their waistsFathers and mothers, wives and children rushing to see themIn the dust and dirt one cannot see Xianyang bridgePulling clothes, stamping feet, blocking the way and weepingThe sound of weeping rising above to heavenAlong the wayside a passerby asks a…

Li Shen – Pity the Farmers

Pity the Farmer, Air 1 A single grain of wheat sewn in spring By autumn ten thousand brings If in all the world no field lies fallow Why then are hungry peasants dying Pity the Farmer, Air 2 Hoeing grain at noon Sweat dripping on the soil Who knows, the food you eat Grain by…

Old poems like old friends

Thought One of Four Poems A lonely swan comes from the sea Daring not to land on lake or pond Looking aside, he spies a kingfisher pair Three nesting on a pearled tree Bravely at the tree’s top Have they no fear of stones? For those clothed in beauty invite people pointing And the mighty…

Beyond the Border – Wang Zhihuan

Beyond the Border Where the Yellow River in the far white clouds is arising, A walled fortress stands alone amidst the vast peaks abiding, Under a willow tree, the Qiang flute is sighing, That Spring never blows through the Yumen (Jade) Pass. Understanding Wang Zhihuan’s poem In 710, the young  Princess Jinching, adopted daughter to…

To Prime Minister Zhang: Looking at Lake Dongting – Meng Haoran

To Prime Minister Zhang: Looking at Lake Dongting In August (the eighth lunar month), the lake is peaceful, Boundless waters blend with the sky and Over the Cloud-Dream Marsh a damp mist rises and The waves are breaking against the walls of Yueyang City. I wish to cross the lake, but there is no boat…

Resentment, Yuàn Qíng – Li Bai

  A beauty unfurls a beaded curtain Deeply seated, eyes furrowed I see the tracks of her tears But I can’t see who she hates The Tracks of My Tears Linda Ronstadt recorded the Tracks of My Tears, a song written by Smokey Robinson in 1965. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles recorded it first, but…

Song of the Spring Palace – Wang Changling

Song of the Spring Palace Last night, The first peach blossoms were revealed by a warm wind And the moon shone high above old Weiyang palace Where Princess Pingyang danced and sang Then asked for a silk gown for a cold spring 春 宮 曲 昨 夜 風 開 露 井 桃 未 央 前…

Meeting Li Guinian at Jiangnan, (South of the River) – Du Fu

Meeting Li Guinian at Jiangnan Often we met at Prince Qi’s Palace and Many times I heard you at Lord Cui’s home and Just now, at Jiangnan, when the earth is its finest When blossoms are falling, we meet again, by chance Notes Poetry, calligraphy, music and art all flourished in the Tang dynasty. But…

Note to Self

Note to Self Looking at my wine, I did not catch sight of the dark night coming Or the flowers falling down on my gown Tipsy, in the moonlight I walk along the stream The birds have yet to come and few are the people Note to self Li Bai’s (李白) poem 自遣 is usually…

Moonlit night

When moonbeams light more than half my house And the Big Dipper and Southern Star criss-cross On such a night I sense and smell a warm spring In a cricket’s sound passing by my green window screen Geng shen yue se ban ren jia Bei dou lan gan nan dou xia Jin ye pian zhi…