Translated Chinese Poetry: Selected Poems From T'ang Dynasty

Selected Poems from T'ang Dynasty

Ch'en Tzu-ang (A.D. 656 - 698) On Climbing You-Chou TerraceAhead I cannot see the ancient faces,Behind I cannot see the coming sages.I brood upon the endlessness of Nature,Lonely and sick at heart, with falling tears.

Ho Chih-chang (A.D. 659 - 744)Jotted Down on Returning Home after Long SeparationOf youth bereft as home I came -- alas,With brogue unchanged but sadly altered hair;My children wondered who the stranger was.They smiled and said: "Where do you come from, sir?"

Chang Chiu-ling (A.D. 673 - 740) Looking at the Moon and Longing for a Distant Lover A clear moon climbs over the sea;To its farthest rimthe whole sky is glowing.Lovers complain -- how endless is the night!Their longing thoughts rise till the dawn.I blow out the candleto enjoy the clear radiance,Slip on my clothesfor I feel the dew grow thick.Since I cannot gather a handful of moonlightto give you,I shall go back to sleepand hope to meet you in a dream!

Kao Shih (A.D. 702 - 765?) Parting from the Eldest Youth of the Tung Family Long leagues of tawny sky shut out the day:On the North Wind wind geese are whirled:And fast, fast drives of snow.Yet dread not loneliness upon thy way.What name is there in the whole worldThat thy name will not know?

Meng Chiao (A.D. 751 - 814) Song of the WandererThread in the hand of a loving motherIs worked into the coatof her wayward boy.Firm and close she sets the stitches nowFor she fears he will be slow, slowto return.Who can say that the heartof an inch-long grassWill repay the sunlightof full Spring?** The last two lines are stock metaphors which are readily comprehensible in Chinese. "The heart of an inch-long grass" means the most exiguous and ardent affection, and "the sunlight of full Spring" means the tender and benign influence of a parent's love.

Chang Chi (A.D. 766 - 830) The Chaste Wife's ReplyOn me, a wedded wife -- as well you know -- A gift of rarest pearls you did bestow;Which, grateful for your tenderness,I pinned upon my crimson dress.My house is tall and with fine gardens girt:My good man is a Halberdier at Court.Granted your love be true to the last breath --Yet I my marriage vows must keep till death.Sir, I return to you each precious pearl--Yet would that I had known you as a girl!

Han Y¨¹ (A.D. 768 - 824)Late SpringAll plants, aware that spring will soon be gone,Their brightest rose bud purple hues put on:And from each emulous bloomIs shed a sweet perfume.Only the willow-catkins and elm-keys,In their simplicity, with every breezeOver the heavens goFlying like flakes of snow.

Wang Ch'ang-ling (8th century) Passing the FrontierUnder the Ch'in moonlightand through the Han passesMile after mile to battle they marchedand never returned...If only the `Flying General' of Lung Ch'eng*were still among us,Never would the Tartar horsemencross Yin Mountain!* The `Flying General' was General Li Kuang of Han (died 125), much dreaded by the Hsiung-nu tribesman, who gave him this nickname.

Wang Chih-huan (8th century) Passing the FrontierIn the far distance the Yellow Riverclimbs to the white clouds;A lone town is perched in the mountains,many thousand feet high.Why should a Tartar pipemourn for willow trees?Spring wind seldom crossesY¨¹-men pass.Climbing the Crane PagodaWhite sunlight disappearsfrom the hillside,Yellow River flows oninto the sea.Desiring to scanthe thousand-mile vistaI climb another storeyof the pagoda.

Li Shen (A.D. 780? - 846)Old StyleIThe cob of corn in springtime sownIn autumn yields a hundredfold.No fields are seen that fallow lie:And yet of hunger peasants die.IIAs at noontide they hoe their crops,Sweat on the grain to earth down drops.How many tears, how many a groan,Each morsel on thy dish did mould!

Li Ho (A.D. 790 - 816)-Lament That the Days Are So ShortFlying lights, flying lights,*I pledge you a cup of wine.I do not know if the blue heavens are high,The yellow earth is rich,I only see cold moon, hot sun,Both come to plague us.Eat bears and you'll grow fat,Eat frogs and you'll grow thin.**Where is the Spirit Lady?Where the Great Unity?***East of the sky stands the Jo tree,****Under it a dragon with a torch in its mouth.*****I'll cut off the dragon's feet,And eat the dragon's flesh.Ther morning will not come back again,Night will not stay.So old men will not die,Nor young men weep.Why should we swallow yellow gold,Or eat white jade?+Who is Ren Gong-ziRiding a white donkey through the clouds?++Liu Che lies in the Mao-ling tomb,Just a pile of bones.+++Ying Zheng lies in his catalpa coffin -- What a waste of abalone.++++* Flying lights: Sun and moon.** Bears' paws were a rich man's delicacy; frogs were eaten by the poor.*** The Spirit Lady was worshipped by Han Wu-ti. The Great Unity was the supreme deity of the Taoist pantheon.**** The Jo tree is a mythical tree int ehfar west (not the east), the foilage of which gives off a red glow at sunset.*****Chu-ci, The Heavenly Questions, p.49: "What land does the sun not reach to? How does the Torch Dragon light it?"+ Yellow gold, white jade are ingredients of the elixirs of life.++ Ren Gong-zi is an immortal in Chinese legends.+++ Emperor Wu of Han, an assiduous seeker after immortality, was buried in Mao-ling tomb. Liu Che is his name.++++ Ying Zheng, another ardent searcher for immortal life, was the notorious First Emperor of Ch'in. He died while on a journey, so his attendents, anxious to conceal his death until they returned to the capital, filled the carriages with abalone to hide the smell of the corpse.

Luo Yin (A.D. 833 - 909)A Candid SongWhen all goes well, for joy I sing:When aught goes ill, I cease.And, truth to tell, there's many a thingMight rob me of my peace.Then drink today while drink you may.You ne'er may drink another day.As for what sorrow may come to-morrow,Why, let it be to-morrow's sorrow!

Tu Ch'iu-niangThe Coat with The Gold ThreadsI warn you -- cherish not your gold-threaded coat;I warn you -- cherish rather the days of your youth!When the flower blooms, ready for picking,pick it you must:Don't wait till the flower fallsand pick a bare twig!