Huang E translations of "Sorrows of the Wild Geese"
SORROWS OF THE WILD GEESE by HUANG E
Sent to My Husband
by Huang E
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
The wild geese never fly beyond Hengyang ...
how then can my brocaded words reach Yongchang?
Like wilted willow flowers I am ill-fated indeed;
in that far-off foreign land you feel similar despair.
“Oh, to go home, to go home!” you implore the calendar.
“Oh, if only it would rain, if only it would rain!” I complain to the heavens.
Farewell to a Lofty Monk
Farewell to a Lofty Monk
Liu Changqing (709-785)
A lofty cloud has met a common crane,
But how to live together in this land?
Don’t stay out here, though filled with fertile hills,
So many know this place, like grains of sand.
| Chinese 送上人 劉長卿 孤雲將野鶴 豈向人間住 莫買沃洲山 時人已知處 | Pronunciation |
The Lute Player
The Lute Player
Liu Changqing (709-785)
As water flows, your lute of seven strings . . .
I hear the wind between the winter pines.
You pull an ancient tune that, though I love,
The players now can hardly play the lines.
| Chinese 彈琴 劉長卿 泠泠七絃上 靜聽松風寒 古調雖自愛 今人多不彈 | Pronunciation Dàn Qín |
Sending Off Ling Che
Sending Off Ling Che
Liu Changqing (709-785)
A temple in the vast green bamboo grove
Resounds its bell within the depth and dusk;
The setting sun slopes down your bamboo hat,
As going back from these green hills, you must.
| Chinese 送靈澈 劉長卿 蒼蒼竹林寺 杳杳鐘聲晚 荷笠帶斜陽 青山獨歸遠 | Pronunciation |
Climbing the Bird Watch
Climbing the Bird Watch
Wang Zhihuan (688-742)
The white sun sets beyond the mountain line,
The Yellow River joins the ocean’s flow—
If poor but want a thousand-mile view,
Ascend a flight of stairs and it will show.
The Battle Map
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.
Bitter Love
Bitter Love
Li Bai (701-762)
The beauty sits behind a jeweled screen,
Lamenting him with lovely, furled brows.
When all I see are cheeks stained wet with tears,
I wonder, where’s the one who broke his vows?
Thoughts on a Quiet Night
Thoughts on a Quiet Night
Li Bai (701-762)
Before my bed the bright moon shines its light,
Perhaps the frost now covers all the ground;
I lift my head to see the shining moon,
I bow my head to see my native town.
| Chinese 靜夜思 李白 床前明月光 疑是地上霜 舉頭望明月 低頭思故鄉 | Pronunciation Jìng Yè Sī Lǐ Bái |
Spring Dawn
Spring Dawn
Meng Haoran (689/691–740)
Asleep in spring, unconscious of the dawn,
The chirp chirp song of birds is everywhere.
Last night the thunder, wind, and rain came long—
How many blossoms now remain out there?
| Chinese 春曉 孟 浩 然 春眠不覺曉 處處聞啼鳥 夜來風雨聲 花落知多少 | Pronunciation Chūn Xiǎo Mèng Hàorán |
Farewell to Cui
Farewell to Cui
Pei Di (born ~ 714 A.D.)On mountains steep and valleys deep
You’ll smile beyond the realm from there—
For just a day you’ll go that way,
To Peach Spring Garden, free of care.
| Chinese 送崔九 裴迪 歸山深淺去 須盡丘壑美 莫學武陵人 暫遊桃源裡 | Pronunciation Sòng Cuī Jiǔ Péi Dí |
