九日 杜甫

九日   杜甫(712-770)

重陽獨酌杯中酒，抱病起登江上台。

竹葉於人既無分，菊花從此不須開。

殊方日落玄猿哭，舊國霜前白雁來。

弟妹蕭條各何在，干戈衰謝兩相催！

The Double Nine Festival         Du Fu (712-770)

Solitarily I relish the wine on this Double Nine Festival,

With this ailing body I struggle to mount the river knoll,

The strong bamboo leaves wine is no more my booze,

Hence the chrysanthemum needs no more come to blow,

At dusk there come outlandish ape wails,

Amidst the autumnal frost I welcome the return of my homeland wild geese,

Wheresoever in this world do all my scattered siblings straggle,

The tumultuous unrest and my decrepitude are all pushing me into senile.

夜 杜甫

夜       杜甫 (712-770)


露下天高秋氣清，空山獨夜旅魂驚。
疏燈自照孤帆宿，新月猶懸雙杵鳴。
南菊再逢人臥病，北書不至雁無情。
步簷倚杖看牛斗，銀漢遙應接鳳城。 

Night                 Du Fu (712-770)

Dew widely and boundlessly spread as the sky highly dangles with hyaline autumnal waters placidly roll and flow,

Amidst the destitute mountains straggles this forlornly drifting soul,

Sparse lamp lights on the river near my solitary boat sparkle,

Under the new moon laundry within the city wall hustles and bustles,

The chrysanthemums from the south has again bloomed but I am still ailing trammeled,

So far I’ve received no letters from home from the insentient messenger goose,

Leaning on my cane I contemplate the stars under the eaves of the west boudoir,

The remote Milky Way should extend my solicitude to the Capital to His Lord Imperial.

又呈吳郞 杜甫

又呈吳郞     杜甫 (712-770)

堂前撲棗任西鄰，無食無兒一婦人。

不為困窮寧有此，只緣恐懼轉須親。

即防遠客雖多事，使插疏籬卻甚真。
已訴征求貧到骨，正思戎馬淚盈巾。

A Second Request for My Friend Wu      Du Fu (712-770)

I used to let my west neighbour to pick at will the dates growing in front of my hovel,

She is a widow who has neither children nor victuals,

She wouldn’t have done this if not abjectly impoverished,

When she does so she shows great care and scruple,

Lest I would scare her I deliberately behave affable,

You have unnecessarily built fences to keep out intruders since moving into my hovel,

She takes this as a serious warning to fend her off,

Government levy has already pinched her to the marrow,

The tumultuous unrest pricks my tears to soak my shawl.

送遠 杜甫

送遠       杜甫 (712-770)

帶甲滿天地，胡爲君遠行！
親朋盡一哭，鞍馬去孤城。
草木歲月晚，關河霜雪清。
別離已昨日，因見古人情。

Seeing Soldiers Off Afield       Du Fu (712-770)

Armoured soldiers throng the world over,

For what are we seeing you off afield,

Friends and relatives all have their tears spilled,

Mounting my horse I see you off at the solitary city wall,

Towards the end of the year foliage has already wilted,

The gate pass is left destitute frosty and snow sealed,

Yesterday’s parting scene I can recall still,

Conjuring up the parting scenarios of people of old.

江亭 杜甫

江亭     杜甫 (712-770)

坦腹江亭暖，長吟野望時。

水流心不競，雲在意俱遲。

寂寂春將晚，欣欣物自私。

江東猶苦戰，回首一顰眉。

The River Pergola          
Du Fu (712-770)                              

Disposing my clothes and exposing my belly in the river pergola to bask in the vernal warmth I loll,

Intoning poems insouciantly I chant loud and long looking around at the wilds,

The river water incessantly flows and rolls but my mind remains placid and unruffled as I have no rivals to prevail,

In the sky on the clouds float,

All these chime in with the insouciance of my soul,

Desolate the scenery will soon turn as spring will soon fade off,

The foliage is still blooming fascinatingly at the moment,

The River East is still plagued by military turmoil,

Looking thither I can’t help frowning my eyebrows.

後遊 杜甫

後遊    杜甫 (712-770)

寺憶曾遊處，橋憐再渡時。
江山如有待，花柳自無私。
野潤煙光薄，沙暄日色遲。
客愁全爲減，舍此復何之？

Revisiting the Buddhist Enlightenment Temple       

Du Fu (712-770)

I have visited this place before the temple seems able to recall,

Crossing the bridge again my compassion for it is deeply ruffled,

The enchanting scenery of the place seems to be expecting my recoil,

Unselfishly willows and flowers fascinatingly blow,

Diaphanously morning haze  moistening the wilds,

The sands are still basking in the setting sun’s glow,

Here gone are all my nostalgic dismals,

If not here, wheresoever shall I go?

野老 杜甫

野老       杜甫 (712-770)

野老籬前江岸回，柴門不正逐江開。

漁人網集澄潭下，賈客船隨返照來。
長路關心悲劍閣，片雲何意傍琴台。
王師未報收東郡，城闕秋生畫角哀。

A Yokel         Du Fu (712-770)

From the fence of my hovel, this yokel gallivants along the river that has it cuddled,

In front of my hovel the river curls,

Though not right in front of the river my wicker door faces I just leave it natural,

Over the Blossoms Pool the fishermen have their nets disposed,

Merchant boats come back to moor amidst the setting sun glow,

The long way they have travelled reminds me of the fall of Jian Ge I sadly recall,

As a piece of drifting cloud there is no reason I should stick to the Qin Chamber of Shu,

News comes Luoyang is again lost,

The sound of the unsettling bugles comes amidst the rattling autumnal gale.