Saturday, October 16, 2010

Double Ninth Festival

Here's a lovely autumnal poem for your delight. Enjoy!

To "Drunk in the Shadow of Flowering Trees"

Pale fog, then dense clouds—
     gloomy all day long;
in the animal-shaped censer
     incense burns away.
Once again it is that autumn holiday:
to my jade pillow behind the gauze screen
at midnight the cold first comes.

By the eastern hedge I took wine in hand
     after twilight fell.
A fragrance filled my sleeves unseen.
Don't tell me this does not break your heart—
the west wind blowing up the curtains
and the person,
     as gaunt as the chrysanthemums.

by Li Qingzhao
translated by Stephen Owen

1 comment:

  1. I love poetry. It's still very much Summer here. I can't decide whether I like it or not. I feel kind of envious of everyone else who seems to be enjoying Fall already. I suppose I'll deal so long as there is a Fall before Winter.

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