2011.03.06 — "Thoughts, Traveling at Night" by Du Fu

How about a Change of Pace?

Here's some poetry from Du Fu 杜甫, who is amongst the greatest and most influential of Chinese poets. I was re-introduced to Du Fu recently from Goodreads contributor Herman. Du Fu is delightful!!

Thoughts, Traveling at Night

In delicate beach-grass, a slight breeze.
The boat’s mast teetering up into solitary
Night, plains open away beneath foundering stars.
A moon emerges and, the river vast, flows.

How will poems bring honor? My career
Lost to age and sickness, buffeted, adrift
On the wind — is there anything like it? All
Heaven and earth, and one lone sand-gull.

Translated by David Hinton (1988)

This particular translation I found amidst 35 others at a sub-page of the Center for Digital Discourse and Culture @ Virginia Tech, specifically at the Du Fu link found on the page called Bureau of Public Secrets: Appendix II: Passages from Recommended Works.