Literature
Here are some Ancient
Chinese poems written by various poets.
Chancing on Old Friends
in a Village Inn
By Tai Shu-Iun
While the autumn moon
is pouring full
On a thousand night-levels
among towns and villages,
There meet by chance,
south of the river,
Dreaming doubters of
a dream . . .
In the trees a wind
has startled the birds,
And insects cower from
cold in the grass;
But wayfarers at least
have wine
And nothing to fear
- till the morning bell.
After the Day of
No Fire
By Han Hung
Petals of spring fly
all through the city
From Wind in the willows
of the Imperial River.
And at dusk, from the
palace, candles are given out
To light first the mansions
of the Five Great Lords.
An Autumn Evening
By Han Hung
While a cold wind is
creeping under my mat,
And the city's naked
wall grows pale with the autumn moon,
I see a lone wildgoose
crossing the River of Stars,
And I hear, on stone
in the night, thousands of washing-mallets. . .
But, instead of wishing
the season, as it goes,
To bear me also far
away,
I have found your poem
so beautiful
That I forget the homing
birds.
Inscribed in the
Temple of the Wandering Genie
By Han Hung
I face, high over this
enchanted lodge, the Court of the Five Cities of Heaven,
And I see a countryside
blue and still, after the long rain.
The distant peaks and
trees of Ch'in merge into twilight,
And Han Palace washing-stones
make their autumnal echoes.
Thin pine-shadows brush
the outdoor pulpit,
And grasses blow their
fragrance into my little cave.
. . . Who need be craving
a world beyond this one?
Here, among men, are
the Purple Hills!
A Bride
By Wang Chien
On the third day, taking
my place to cook,
Washing my hands to
make the bridal soup,
I decide that not my
mother-in-law
But my husband's young
sister shall have the first taste.
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