Poem by the Bridge at Ten-Shin

[binahboy.livejournal.com]

March has come to the bridge head,
Peach boughs and apricot boughs hang over a thousand gates,
At morning there are flowers to cut the heart,
And evening drives them on the eastward-flowing waters.
Petals are on the gone waters and on the going,
And on the back-swirling eddies,
But to-day's men are not the men of the old days,
Though they hang in the same way over the bridge-rail.
The sea's colour moves at the dawn
And the princes still stand in rows, about the throne,
And the moon falls over the portals of Sei-jo-yo,
And clings to the walls and the gate-top.
With head gear glittering against the cloud and sun,
The lords go forth from the court, and into far borders.
They ride upon dragon-like horses,
Upon horses with headtrappings of yellow metal,
And the streets make way for their passage.
Haughty their passing,
Haughty their steps as they go in to great banquets,
To high halls and curious food,
To the perfumed air and girls dancing,
To clear flutes and clear singing:
To the dance of the seventy couples;
To the mad chase through the gardens.
Night and day are given over to pleasure
And they think it will last a thousand autumns.
Unwearying autumns.
For them the yellow dogs howl portents in vain,
And what are they compared to the Lady Ryokushu,
That was cause of hate!
Who among them is a man like Han-rei
Who departed alone with his mistress,
With her hair unbound, and he his own skiffsman!

~Ezra Pound

Comments

Just wanted to note

[a-zoetrope.livejournal.com]

Great poem, but it's not by Ezra Pound. He translated it in his own way, rather liberally, since he knew no Chinese and went on the notes of his friend who did. It is by "Rihaku," better (and more correctly) known as Li Po, probably the greatest Chinese poet ever.

Re: Just wanted to note

[binahboy.livejournal.com]

Hey thanks, much appreciated. I heard it read last week and it made a powerful impact on me; I had no idea it was a translated work. Interesting. Do you have anymore poems of the Chinese chap in English? I mean well, er, I’m not acquainted with Chinese/ mandarin myself.
cheers

Re: Just wanted to note

[a-zoetrope.livejournal.com]

Yes, most of the poems in Cathay (all?) are translated from the Chinese T'ang Dynasty poets. My favorite translation of Li Po is The Selected Poems of Li Po, translated by David Hinton. Well worth checking out, though fairly different from Pound's liberal but lyrical (and in places lovely) translations/interpretations.

Re: Just wanted to note

[binahboy.livejournal.com]

Thank you again, surely shall.