Classical Poetry
85 worksOrthodox classical Chinese poetry spanning archaic ballads to Tang regulated verse.
- Thoughts in the Quiet NightLifting my head, I gaze at the bright moon; lowering my head, I dream of home.
- Spring ViewBeacon fires have burned through three months; a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.
- Song of Everlasting RegretTurning with a single smile, a hundred charms arose; all the beauties of the palace faded without color.
- Clear and Even Melody · Part 1 (Clouds Recall Her Raiment)Clouds recall her floating robes, blossoms her radiant face; spring breezes brush the balustrade in heavy glistening dew.
- Farewell to a Friend · Frosty Night on the Reed WatersIn watery reaches reeds glisten with night frost; chill moonlight and mountain peaks merge in deep azure.
- Lament on Colored SilkLeaves are just beginning to fall over Dongting; I think of you, more than ten thousand li away.
- Red CliffHad the east wind not aided Master Zhou, spring in the Bronze Sparrow Tower would have locked away the Two Qiaos.
- The Bailiff at ShihaoThe living merely eke out their days; the dead are gone for evermore!
- Farewell to Vice-Magistrate Du on His Posting to ShuIf within the four seas a bosom friend remains, heaven's farthest edge is next door.
- Song on Ascending the Youzhou TerraceBefore me I see not the ancients; behind me I see not those to come. Pondering the boundless infinity of heaven and earth, alone in grief my tears stream down!
- Occasional Poem on Returning HomeLeaving young and returning old, my native accent remains while temple hair has thinned. Children meet me but recognize me not, smilingly asking: 'Whence comes our guest?'
- Autumn Twilight in the Mountain DwellingBright moon shines among the pines; clear spring flows over rocks. Though spring blossoms fade at will, the noble recluse may naturally stay.
- Mission to the FrontierAcross the vast desert a lone column of smoke rises straight; over the long river the setting sun hangs round.
- Visiting an Old Friend's CottageGreen trees encircle the village edge; emerald mountains slant beyond outer walls. Opening windows toward threshing yards, winecups in hand we talk of mulberries and hemp.
- Farewell to Dong DaWorry not that no kindred spirits lie on the road ahead; under heaven, who does not recognize your renown?
- Song of White Snow in Farewell to Assistant Magistrate Wu Returning to the CapitalAs if overnight a spring breeze had arrived, thousands of trees blossom with pear flowers. Beyond winding peaks you vanish from sight, leaving only horseshoe tracks in deep white snow.
- Going Beyond the FrontierThe moon of Qin, the border passes of Han; after ten thousand leagues of marching, our soldiers have not returned. If only the Flying General of Dragon City were still here, no barbarian cavalry would ever cross the Yin Mountains.
- On Ascending Stork TowerThe bright sun slants along the mountains and sinks; the Yellow River surges into the eastern sea. If you desire to see a thousand leagues afar, ascend yet another story higher.
- The Hard Road to ShuAh, alas, how perilous and towering! The road to Shu is harder than climbing to the cerulean blue sky!
- The Hard RoadA time will come to ride the winds and cleave the waves; I shall hoist cloud-high sails straight across the azure sea!
- Departing Early from Baidi CityWhile gibbons on both shores wail incessantly, my swift light skiff has slipped past ten thousand fold mountain ranges.
- Gazing on Mount TaiSomeday I shall surely mount the highest peak, and look down upon all other mountains dwarf-small!
- Song of My Thatched Cottage Wrecked by Autumn GaleHow could I secure ten thousand grand mansions, to shelter all destitute scholars under heaven in beaming smiles! Standing unmoved through wind and storm, secure as a mountain.
- Climbing HighBoundless falling leaves rustle and shower down; unending Yangtze waters surge and roll on. Ten thousand leagues away lamenting autumn, forever a wandering guest; enduring a lifetime of sickness, all alone I climb the high terrace.
- Song of the PipaWe both are drifted wanderers cast to heaven's far corners; meeting like this, what need is there for prior acquaintance!
- The Brocade ZitherOn vast azure sea bright moon weeps pearly tears; in Lantian under warm sun fine jade generates mist. Could this deep affection wait only to become a distant memory? Even at that very moment, one was already lost in melancholy daze.
- Early Departure from Mount ShangCockcrow at thatched inn under the moon; footprints upon the frost of wooden bridge. Oak leaves carpet mountain trails; trifoliate orange blossoms brighten post-station walls.
- Heaven Answered · ExcerptAnswer: The vastness of the primal beginning is something told by fabulists. Its great spirit, dim and tangled, how can it be put into words? Darkness and light, faint and minute, came and went in ceaseless profusion; through murky transformations only the primal qi endured, so what was there that 'brought it about'?
- Lotus LeavesAs the boat moves, splashed water stirs the uneven green; leaning on the railing, the wind sways each fragrant stalk.
- To the Neighbor Maiden · Easy to Find a Priceless GemShy of the sun, shielding with gauze sleeves; melancholy in spring, sluggish to dress. A priceless gem is easy to attain, yet rare indeed is a devoted lover. Weeping secretly upon the pillow, broken-hearted amidst flowers. When you yourself can gaze upon dashing Song Yu, why fret over Wang Chang?
- Gazing with Sorrow in Jiangling, Sent to Zi'anMaple leaves in thousand and ten thousand branches; dusk sails move sluggishly past the river bridge. My heart pining for you is like the West River's surge, coursing eastward day and night without ever ceasing.
- Eight ExtremesMost near yet most distant are East and West; most deep yet most shallow is the crystal brook; most high and most luminous are the Sun and Moon; most intimate yet most estranging are husband and wife.
- Bodhi Gatha · Originally Not a Single Thing ExistsBodhi originally has no tree, nor does the bright mirror have a stand. From the beginning not a single thing exists—where then could dust ever alight!
- Gatha of the Body as Bodhi TreeThe body is the Bodhi tree; the mind is like a clear mirror on a stand. Constantly and diligently wipe it clean, never allowing dust to collect.
- Upon the Lofty Mountain PeakIn the spring there is really no moon; the moon is itself in the blue sky.
- People Ask for the Way to Cold MountainPeople ask the road to Cold Mountain; yet Cold Mountain has no open road. In midsummer ice remains unthawed; when the sun rises, mists drift obscurely. How did someone like me reach here? Because our minds are not the same! If your heart resembled mine, you too could pass right through.
- Remote and Dim, the Cold Mountain RoadMorning after morning I do not see the sun; year after year I do not know spring.
- Freedom from Anger Is the PreceptTo be free of anger is itself the precept; a pure mind is itself leaving home.
- Seeking Lu Hongjian Without Finding HimI knock at the gate, but no dog barks; about to leave, I ask at the house to the west.
- Song of Tea Drinking Teasing Governor Cui ShiThe first cup washes away dullness and drowsiness; my spirits rise, bright and clear, filling heaven and earth. The second cup clears my mind, like flying rain sprinkling away light dust. With the third cup I attain the Way; why labour painfully to break through vexations?
- Presented to Grand Tutor QianThe hall is full of guests, three thousand drunk among flowers; a single sword, chill as frost, holds fourteen prefectures.
- Inscribed on a Mountain Dwelling's Wall in Late Spring (No. 1)The brushwood gate is quiet, the millet rice fragrant; smoke rises from the mountain home as the spring rain clears.
- Early Plum Blossoms · Deep in the Snow of the Front VillageTen thousand frozen trees seem ready to snap; solitary roots alone awaken with hidden warmth. Deep in the thick snows of the forward village, last night a single branch blossomed into flower. The breeze wafts secret fragrance forth; birds peer down upon its pure white charm.
- The SwordsmanDrawing my sword, I circle the leftover wine; the song finished, I go straight out of the gate.
- Quatrain · Quieting Essence and Energy to Nurture the SpiritStill the essence, still the breath, and so nourish the spirit; let essence fill the cinnabar field and breath sustain the body.
- Invitation to Liu the NineteenthAs dusk falls, snow begins to drift—will you join me for a cup?
- Song of LiangzhouDo not laugh if we lie drunk upon the battlefield—since ancient times, how many warriors ever return?
- Army Life: Part IVThrough a hundred battles in yellow sands, our golden armors wear thin; until we defeat Loulan, we shall never return.
- Song of the Parting SonWho could say that the heart of an inch-long blade of grass could ever repay the boundless sunshine of three springs?
- After Passing the Imperial ExaminationProud in the spring breeze, my horse's hooves fly fast; in a single day I see all the flowers of Chang'an.
- Song of ChangganYou came riding a bamboo horse, circling the well-rail, playing with green plums.
- Written at Wujiang PavilionThe young men east of the Yangtze were many and gifted; had he returned, rolling up the dust again, who knows what might have been?
- A Dream Journey to Mount Tianmu: A Song of FarewellHow could I lower my brows and bend my waist to serve the mighty and noble, and never again show a happy face?
- Drinking Alone Under the Moon, No. 1Raising my cup, I invite the bright moon; with my shadow, we make a party of three.
- To Wang LunThe water of Peach Blossom Pool is a thousand feet deep, yet not as deep as Wang Lun's feeling in seeing me off.
- Hearing That the Imperial Army Has Recovered Henan and HebeiI turn to look at my wife and children: where has their sorrow gone? Rolling up my books and poems any which way, I am wild with joy.
- Grass on the Ancient Plain: A FarewellWildfire can never burn it all away; when the spring wind blows, it comes to life again.
- Thinking of My Brothers East of the Mountains on the Double NinthAlone in a strange land, a stranger among strangers, at every festival I miss my family twice as much.
- Night Mooring at Maple BridgeBeyond the walls of Gusu, from Cold Mountain Temple, the midnight bell carries to the traveler's boat.
- Written on a Rainy Night, Sent NorthWhen shall we trim the candle together by the west window, and talk of this night rain in the Ba hills?
- Pity for the Peasants, Two PoemsWho knows that of the food upon the plate, every single grain is bitter toil?
- Written at a Village South of the CapitalWhere that face has gone I cannot tell; the peach blossoms, as before, smile in the spring wind.
- West Stream at ChuzhouThe spring flood, swelled by rain, runs fast at dusk; at the wild ferry no one is there, and the boat swings crosswise by itself.
- A Moonlit Night on the Spring RiverWho on the riverbank first saw this moon? In what year did the river moon first shine on a person?
- Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu, No. 2Its flying torrent plunges straight down three thousand feet; I wonder if the Milky Way is falling from the ninth heaven.
- Farewell to Collator Shuyun at Xie Tiao's Tower in XuanzhouDraw a blade to cut the water, and the water flows on; raise a cup to drown sorrow, and sorrow grows deeper.
- Ballad of the Army CartsNow we truly know that bearing a son is bad, and bearing a daughter is better.
- Welcoming Rain on a Spring NightIt follows the wind, slipping secretly into the night, moistening all things finely, without a sound.
- Yellow Crane TowerAs the sun sets, where is my home village? Mist and waves on the river make one sorrow.
- Deer EnclosureThe returning light enters the deep forest and shines again upon the green moss.
- River SnowIn a lone boat, an old man in straw cape and hat fishes alone in the snow on the cold river.
- Mooring on the Qinhuai RiverThe singing girls do not know the grief of a fallen kingdom; across the river they still sing "Flowers in the Rear Court."
- Song of the Governor of YanmenBlack clouds press on the city, as if to crush it; armour glints toward the sun, like golden scales opening.
- Black Robe LaneThe swallows that once nested before the halls of the Wang and Xie clans now fly into the homes of ordinary people.
- Bring in the WineHeaven made my talents, and they must have their use; scatter a thousand in gold and it will all come back again.
- Seeing Off Meng Haoran to Guangling at Yellow Crane TowerMy old friend takes leave of Yellow Crane Tower in the west, going down to Yangzhou in the third month, amid mist and blossom.
- Gazing at Tianmen MountainGreen mountains on both banks stand out facing each other; a single lone sail comes from beside the sun.
- The Chancellor of ShuHe led the army out but died before victory came, forever making heroes weep until their robes are soaked.
- The Old Charcoal SellerPitiful: the clothes on his back are thin, yet fearing charcoal will sell cheap, he wishes the weather colder!
- Seeing Off Yuan the Second on a Mission to AnxiI urge you to drain one more cup of wine: west of Yang Pass you will have no old friends.
- Spring DawnIn the night came the sound of wind and rain; how many blossoms have fallen, who can tell?
- Untitled: Hard It Is to MeetThe spring silkworm spins its silk until it dies; the candle's tears dry only when it has burned to ash.
- Mountain WalkI stop my carriage simply because I love the maple wood at dusk; the frost-touched leaves are redder than the flowers of the second month.
- Ode to the WillowWho cut out these slender leaves, I wonder? The spring wind of the second month, like a pair of scissors.
- In Reply to Letian, Who Gave Me a Poem at Our First Meeting in YangzhouBeside the sunken boat a thousand sails go by; before the sickly tree ten thousand trees burst into spring.