This morning's scene is good and fine, Long rain has not harmed the land.
This cream will help one's nature strengthen and grow, The diet gives support in my decline.
My heart is in a world of water and crystal, My clothes are damp in this time of spring rains.
Behind The Gates Of The Wealthy
zhu men jiu rou chou
lu you dong si gu
Behind the gates of the wealthy
food lies rotting from waste
Outside it's the poor
who lie frozen to death
The weeping voices rise straight up and strike the clouds. A passer-by at the roadside asks a conscript why, The conscript answers only that drafting happens often.
On Meeting Li Guinian Again, South Of The River
I often saw you at the palace of the prince,
And twice at Cui’s I heard you sing for hours.
This southern scenery seems colorful indeed,
When you are here among the fallen flowers.
Meeting Li GuiNian In The South
At the home of the Prince of Qi
I have often seen you,
and in the hall of Cui Jiu,
I have heard you sing.
Truly these southlands
boast unrivaled scenery-
to see you once again
when the flowers are falling.
The Eight Formations
Your achievements overshadowed
any in the Three Kingdoms;
most famous of all was your design
for the Eight Formations.
Against the river’s surge,
they stand solid, immovable,
a monument to your lasting regret
at failing to swallow up Wu.
I Stand Alone
A falcon hovers at the edge of the sky.
Two gulls drift slowly up the river.
Vulnerable while they ride the wind,
they coast and glide with ease.
Dew is heavy on the grass below,
the spider’s web is ready.
Heaven’s ways include the human:
among a thousand sorrows, I stand alone.
Lone Wild Goose
Alone, the wild goose refuses food and drink,
his calls searching for the flock.
Who feels compassion for that single shadow
vanishing in a thousand distant clouds?
You watch, even as it flies from sight,
its plaintive calls cutting through you.
The noisy crows ignore it:
the bickering, squabbling multitudes.