overnight at the governor's mansion (trans.)

[dedalus]

7-character, regular verse:

清秋幕府井梧寒， 獨宿江城蠟炬殘。

永夜角聲悲自語， 中天月色好誰看？

風塵荏苒音書絕， 關塞蕭條行陸難。

已忍伶俜十年事， 強移棲息一枝安。

Clear and cold is this autumn night with parasol trees in the courtyard.

Alone in this river town, I watch the flame of a guttering candle.

From the dark outside comes the plaintive note of a bugle,

and though the moon is in mid-heaven, is there no-one to share with me?

My messengers are scattered amid clouds of rain and sand

and the city gates are closed to the traveller: high mountains are walls in my way.

I, who have borne the last ten years of pitiable existence,

find here a perch, a little branch, I feel safe for the night.

(a non-precise rather cavalier translation which needs an extra line co contain the limpid Chinese, but the essence is there.)

Du Fu, 712-770

 

[tonyv]

How lovely, Brendan. I don't want this to drop down and get lost on the page, so I'll move it to the translations forum where that's less likely to happen.

 

Tony

[Tinker]

This is so beautiful. I love the detail in the images so clear it is like music.

~~ Tink