Seasons, Change and Felt Life

Spring Morning

In spring sleep, dawn arrives unnoticed; everywhere, I hear birds calling. Through the night came the sound of wind and rain— how many blossoms must have fallen?

春晓

River Snow

Across a thousand mountains, no bird is in flight; on ten thousand paths, no human trace remains. In a lone boat, an old man in straw cape and hat fishes alone in the snow on the cold river.

江雪

Deer Enclosure

On the empty mountain no one is seen, yet the sound of human voices carries. Returning light enters the deep wood and shines once more on the green moss.

鹿柴

Gazing at the Remaining Snow on Zhongnan

The northern ridge of Zhongnan stands out fine; its banked snow floats at the edge of the clouds. Above the treetops the clearing sky brightens, and in the city the evening cold increases.

终南望余雪

A Question for Liu the Nineteenth

New unstrained wine, its froth green as ants; a small stove of red clay. Evening comes, the sky is about to snow— can you drink a cup?

问刘十九

Climbing the Leyou Plateau

Toward evening my mood is out of sorts; I drive the carriage up to the ancient plain. The setting sun is boundlessly fine— it is only that dusk is near.

登乐游原

The West Brook at Chuzhou

What I love most is the quiet grass growing by the brook, with an oriole calling above it, deep in the trees. The spring tide, bringing rain, runs fast toward evening; at the wild crossing no one is there, and the boat lies athwart of itself.

滁州西涧

Blackrobe Lane

By Vermilion Bird Bridge, wild grasses are in flower; at the mouth of Blackrobe Lane the evening sun slants. The swallows that once nested before the halls of Wang and Xie now fly into the houses of ordinary people.

乌衣巷

An Autumn Evening

Silver candle, autumn light, a painted screen turned cold; a small gauze fan swats at drifting fireflies. On the steps the night air is cool as water; sitting, watching the Herdboy and Weaver Maid stars.

秋夕

The Robe of Gold Thread

I urge you not to prize the robe of gold thread; I urge you to prize instead the years of youth. When a flower opens and can be picked, pick it at once; do not wait until, with no flowers left, you break a bare branch.

金缕衣

To Autumn

Autumn appears through ripening, harvest, and approaching dusk, heard on its own terms rather than measured against spring.

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

A meditation on beauty, time, and poetry’s claim to preserve the beloved beyond summer and death.

十四行诗第十八首：我可否把你比作夏日？

Sonnet 73: That time of year thou mayst in me behold

A meditation on ageing through late autumn, twilight, and dying fire, ending with love intensified by approaching loss.

十四行诗第七十三首：你在我身上看见暮秋