Du Fu

The Battle Map

 
Du Fu (712-770)
 
 
The deeds today do not exceed those times
When battles broke our bloody lands in three.
As rivers flow, the stones stay still within:
The three states would not join in unity.
 
 

Fate is a sword that swings by chance—
I wonder where my brothers have gone.
Wiping these tears that wet my sleeves,
I comb my hair like a silken lawn.
The earth is vulgar, vast, and wild,
But Heaven is far, like the distant dawn.
For who is spared from sickness in time?
I cannot see you though life slips on.
 
 
Original Chinese Poem