旅夜書懷 lǚ yè shū
huái 43
translations
細草微風岸 xì cǎo wēi fēng àn, ngɑ̀n d
r L L d
危檣獨夜舟 wēi qiáng dú yè zhōu. jiou L
L e d L
星垂平野闊 xīng chuí píng yě kuò, kuɑt L
L L r e
月湧大江流 yuè yǒng dà jiāng liú. liou e
r d L L
名豈文章著 míng qǐ wén zhāng zhù, djiù L r L L d
官應老病休 guān yīng lǎo bìng xiū. xiou L L r d L
飄飄何所似 piāo piāo hé suǒ sì, ziə̌ L
L L r r
天地一沙鷗 tiān dì yī shā ōu. qou L d e L L
Rhyme ABCBDBEB
Alexander, Mark (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm) (literal)
Nocturnal Reflections While Traveling
Gently grass soft wind shore
Tall mast alone night boat
Stars fall flat fields broad
Moon rises great river flows
Name not literary works mark
Official should old sick stop
Flutter flutter what place seem
Heaven earth one sand gull
Hawkes, David (http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
(literal)
Traveling Night Write Thoughts
Fine grass slight wind bank
Tall mast lonely night boat
Stars hang-down level plain vastness
Moon bobs-from great-river’s flow
Name how literature famous
Office due-to age-sickness resigned
Drifting-drifting what-am like
Sky-earth one sand-gull
Owen, Stephen Traditional Chinese Poetry and Poetics: Omen of the World (Madison: U. of Wisconsin, 1985) (literal)
travel night write feelings
fine/thin grass/plants faint wind shore
high/precarious mast alone/lone night boat
stars hang level wilderness broad
moon gush/bubble great river flow
name/fame how —literary writings— make known
office must old sick quit
fluttering fluttering what —be resembled to—
Heaven Earth one sand gull
Alexander, Mark (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Nocturnal Reflections While Traveling
Gentle breeze on grass by the shore,
The boat's tall mast alone at night.
Stars fall; broad flat fields,
Moon rises; great river flows.
Have my writings not made any mark?
An official should stop when old and sick.
Fluttering from place to place I resemble,
A gull between heaven and earth.
Alley, Rewi Tu Fu: Selected Poems (Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1964)
Night Thoughts of a Traveller
Thin reeds, and from the land
A soft breeze; our mast stands
Tall and stark in the night
And I am alone; stars hang
Over the great plain, and
The moon moves with the flowing river;
Fame may not come together
With literary merit;
A broken-down, worn-out
Official should simply rest!
It seems I am but as a sand bird
Blown before the elements.
Ayscough,
A Traveller at Night Writes His Thoughts
Fine grass; slight breeze from bank;
High mast; alone at night in boat.
Over level widening waste stars droop-flowers;
Moon flows as water on vast surging stream.
Fame! is it manifest by essays, poems?
An official, old, sick, should rest.
What do I resemble, blown by wind blown by
wind?
A gull on the sand between Heaven and Earth.
Barnstone,
Tony & Chou Ping (www.7beats.com/2006_12_01_7beats_archive.html)
Thoughts While Night Traveling
Slender wind shifts the shore's fine grass.
Lonely night below the boat's tall mast.
Stars hang low as the vast plain splays;
the swaying moon makes the great river race.
How can poems make me known?
I'm old and sick, my career done.
Drifting, just drifting. What kind of man am I?
A lone gull floating between earth and sky.
Birch, Cyril (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Thoughts on a Night Journey
Reeds by the bank bending, stirred by the breeze,
High-masted boat advancing alone in the night,
Stars drawn low by the vastness of the plain,
The moon rushing forward in the river’s flow.
How should I look for fame to what I have written?
In age and sickness, how continue to serve?
Wandering, drifting, what can I take for likeness?
— A gull that wheels alone between earth and sky.
Brownrigg, Ray (www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~ray/ChineseEssays)
A Night
Traveller’s Thoughts
Soft grassy
bank in the night breeze wafts,
Alone
tonight, this tall mast
standing.
Stars hang
right down to the flat wide fields;
Moon rises
from the great course flowing.
Fame on its
own - what gets words noticed;
Old, sick
servants should be retiring.
Adrift in
life - just what am I now?
But a
seagull - purgatory;
waiting.
Bynner, Witter The
A Night Abroad
A light wind is rippling at the grassy
shore. . . .
Through the night, to my motionless tall
mast,
The stars lean down from open space,
And the moon comes running up the river.
. . . If only my art might bring me fame
And free my sick old age from office! —
Flitting, flitting, what am I like
But a sand-snipe in the wide, wide world!
Chou, Eva Shan Reconsidering Tu Fu: Literary Greatness and Cultural Context (Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1995)
Fine grasses and a light wind on the bank,
A tall mast, a solitary boat in the night,
Stars hang down over a vast level plain,
The moon undulates in the flow of the great River.
Has my name become known through literature?
My office is resigned due to illness and old age.
Drifting, drifting, what am I like?
A gull between heaven and earth.
Cooper, Arthur R. V. Li Po and Tu Fu (Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin Books, 1973)
Night Thoughts Afloat
By bent grasses in a gentle wind
Under straight mast I’m alone tonight,
And the stars hang above the broad plain
But moon’s afloat in this
Oh, where’s my name among the poets?
Official rank? “Retired for ill-health.”
Drifting, drifting, what am I more than
A single gull between sky and earth?
Fletcher,
W. J. B. Gems of Chinese Verse (Shanghai:
Commercial Press Ltd., 1919)
My Reflection by Night
Some scattered grass. A shore breeze blowing light.
A giddy mast. A lonely boat at night.
The wide-flung stars o'erhang all vasty space.
The moonbeams with the Yangtze's current race.
How by my pen can I to fame attain ?
Worn out, from office better to refrain.
Drifting o'er life — and what in sooth am I?
A sea-gull floating twixt the Earth and Sky.
Hamill, Sam (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Night Thoughts While Traveling
Thin grass bends on the breezy shore,
and the tall mast seems lonely in my boat.
Stars ride low across the wide plain,
and the moon is tossed by the Yangtze.
What is fame and literary status —
the old and infirm should leave office.
Adrift, drifting: what is left for the lone gull
adrift between earth and heaven.
Hart, Henry H. The Charcoal Burner, and Other Poems; Original Translations from the Poetry of the Chinese (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1974)
Night Thoughts
Tufts of grass on the bank
Stirred by the breeze.
A lone boat,
A tall mast in the night.
Stars hanging low
Over wild land and tilled field.
Moonlight shimmering
On the swift-flowing
How can I win fame
By the work of my pen?
Worn out in public service,
I am wiser to resign.
Tossed about
In the whirlwinds of life,
What am I?
A seagull hovering
’Twixt heaven and earth!
Hawkes, David (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Thoughts Written While Travelling at Night
By the bank where the fine grass bends in a gentle wind, my
boat’s tall mast stands in the solitary night. The stars hang down over the
great emptiness of the level plain, and the moon bobs on the running waters of
the
Herdan, Innes (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Thoughts While Travelling at Night
A faint wind
through the fine grasses
on the shore;
High mast
and lonely boat
in the night.
The stars reach down to the wide level fields,
The moon rushes on
in the swing of
the
Shall I ever make a name in poetry?
Old and sick,
it is time for me to retire.
Driven this way and that like —
what shall I say?
Like a solitary gull
blown between earth and sky!
Hinton, David in Weinberger, Eliot, ed. The New Directions Anthology of Classical
Chinese Poetry (
Thoughts, Traveling at Night
In delicate beach-grass, a slight breeze.
The boat’s mast teetering up into solitary
Night, plains open away beneath foundering stars.
A moon emerges and, the river vast, flows.
How will poems bring honor? My career
Lost to age and sickness, buffeted, adrift
On the wind — is there anything like it? All
Heaven and earth, and one lone sand-gull.
Holman, Jake (www.chinahistoryforum.com/lofiversion/index.php/t14104.html)
A Night Traveler's Thoughts
Soft grass, gentle breeze on the bank
Stark mast, single boat in the night
Stars droop as the level fields widen
Moon surges in the great river's flow
A famous name--how can writings win that?
An official, old and sick, should quit
Drifting, drifting, what am I like?
Between heaven and earth, a lone seagull
Holyoak, Keith (www.thehypertexts.com/Keith Holyoak Poet Poetry Picture Bio.htm)
Thoughts Written While Traveling at Night
The fine grass
by the riverbank stirs in the breeze;
the tall mast
in the night is a lonely sliver.
Stars hang
all across the vast plain;
the moon bobs
in the flow of the great river.
My poetry
has not made a name for me;
now age and sickness
have cost me the post I was given.
Drifting, drifting,
what do I resemble?
A lone gull
lost between earth and heaven.
Hung, William Tu Fu: China’s Greatest Poet (New York: Harvard University Press, 1952)
Thoughts While Traveling at Night
Between two shores of tender grass, in the slight breeze,
Glides this lonely high-masted boat.
The stars seem to reach down to the fields, flat and wide;
The moon seems to be swimming as the
Am I really to achieve an honored name in literature?
I ought to give up all hopes of official service because of age and illness.
To what shall I compare myself, as I am blown about?
Just a beach gull between heaven and earth.
Kline, A. S. (www.tonykline.co.uk)
Night Journey Thoughts
Bent grasses in slender breeze.
Boat’s mast high in empty night.
Starlight shining near the plain.
Moon floating on river’s light.
All this writing, but no name.
Illness and years, without a place.
Drifting, wandering, what am I?
A white bird over earth and sky.
Liu, Wu-chi & Irving Yucheng Lo, eds. Sunflower Splendor: Three Thousand Years of Chinese Poetry (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1975)
Night Thoughts Aboard a Boat
A bank of fine grass and light breeze,
A tall-masted solitary night boat.
Stars descend over the vast wild plain;
The moon bobs in the
Fame: is it ever to be won in literature?
Office: I should give up, old and sick.
Floating, floating, what am I like?
Between earth and sky, a gull alone.
McCraw, David R. Du Fu's Laments from the South (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1992)
Expressing My Feelings, on a Night of Travel
A fine grassy, light breezy bank;
A tall masted, lonesome night boat.
The stars droop, as flat wilds widen;
The moon bobs, in great Jiang’s flow.
Renown — by literature made known?
Office — old and sick, I should annul . . .
Tossing adrift — what is my likeness?
Heaven and earth — a single sand gull.
Murphy, James R. (http://www.torusflex.com/poetry%20project1/poetry.html)
Travelling at night writing my feelings
the long slim grass on shore bends in a light wind
the tall mast towers above me, alone
the stars hang low to touch the broad sweep of shore
the moon jumps through the sky, the mighty river flows
what name have i made for myself as a poet
now i'm too old and sick, worthless i must quit my office
i sit here floating, floating, and to what end
between all the earth and the sky is but this skittering tern
Owen, Stephen Traditional Chinese Poetry and Poetics: Omen of the World (Madison: U. of Wisconsin, 1985)
Writes of what he feels, traveling by night
Slender grasses, breeze faint on the shore,
Here, the looming mast, the lone night boat.
Stars hang down on the breadth of the plain,
The moon gushes in the great river’s current.
My name shall not be known from my writing;
Sick, growing old, I must yield up my post.
Wind-tossed, fluttering—what is my likeness?
In Heaven and Earth, a single gull of the sands.
Owen, Stephen (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21983&ttt=)
Night Thoughts Aboard a Boat (2nd quatrain only)
In literature my name will not be known,
Sickness, old age demand resignation of post –
Tossed about by winds, what is my semblance?
Of Heaven and of Earth, a single sand gull.
Porter, Bill (www.mountainsongs.net)
Recording My Thoughts While Traveling at Night
A shore of thin reeds in light wind
A tall boat alone at night
Stars hang over the barren land
The moon rises out of the Yangtze
How could writing ever lead to fame
I quit my post due to illness and age
Drifting along what I am like
A solitary gull between Heaven and Earth
Rexroth, Kenneth One Hundred Poems from the Chinese (New York: New Directions, 1965)
Night Thoughts While Travelling
A light breeze rustles the reeds
Along the river banks. The
Mast of my lonely boat soars
Into the night. Stars blossom
Over the vast desert of
Waters. Moonlight flows on the
Surging river. My poems have
Made me famous but I grow
Old, ill and tired, blown hither
And yon; I am like a gull
Lost between heaven and earth.
Seaton, Jerome P. (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Thoughts of a Night on Board
Slender grasses, a light breeze on the banks.
Tall mast, a solitary night on board.
A falling star, and the vast plain broader.
Surging moon, on the
Can fame grow from the written word alone?
The official, old and sick, must let it be.
Afloat, afloat, just so . . .
Heaven, and Earth, and one black gull.
Seaton, Jerome P. (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Thoughts While Traveling by Night
Slender grass, light breeze on the banks.
Tall mast, a solitary night on board.
A star falls, and the vast plain seems broader.
Surging moon, on the
Can fame grow from wen alone?
This servant of the people, now old and sick, must let that be.
Afloat, afloat, just so . . .
Heaven, and Earth, and one black gull.
Seth, Vikram (www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm)
Thoughts While Travelling at Night
Light breeze on the fine grass.
I stand alone at the mast.
Stars lean on the vast wild plain.
Moon bobs in the
Letters have brought no fame.
Office? Too old to obtain.
Drifting, what am I like?
A gull between earth and sky.
Tao, Tommy
W. K. (www.taosl.net/tao/yq00712.htm)
A
Sojourner's Even Song
Frail
grass, soft wind, at the shore;
Tall mast,
lone boat, in the eventide.
Stars
dangle o'er the plain so vast;
Moon
surging on the river wide.
Will I be
known for my writings alone?
One should
serve until one dies!
Drifting,
drifting, what's it like?
A single
sand gull 'twixt the earth and skies.
Watson,
A Traveler at Night Writes His Thoughts
Delicate grasses, faint wind on the bank;
stark mast, a lone night boat:
stars hang down, over broad fields sweeping;
the moon boils up, on the great river flowing.
Fame — how can my writings win me that?
Office — age and sickness have brought it to an end.
Fluttering, fluttering — where is my likeness?
Sky and earth and one sandy gull.
Weng Xiangliang 翁显良 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21983&ttt=)
Whither?
So soft the grassy carpet at the water’s edge, so gentle the wind’s caress.
Here lies my boat moored for the night, one lone mast sharply projected against a lambent sky.
Far away stretch the boundless plains, fringed on the horizon with starry clusters hanging low.
Quiet flows the broad river, shimmering in the light of the rising moon.
But I in obscurity remain, for fame comes not to a mere man of letters.
Old and ailing, I have retired from official life.
Now I am as a wild sea gull, free to go wherever I please. But where?
Whincup, Greg. The Heart of Chinese Poetry (Garden City: Anchor Press, Doubleday, 1987)
Traveling At Night
Slender grasses,
A breeze on the riverbank,
The tall mast
Of my boat alone in the night.
Stars hang
All across a vast plain.
The moon leaps
In the
My writing
Has not made a name for me,
And now, due to my age and illness,
I must quit my official post.
Floating on the wind,
What do I resemble?
A solitary gull
Between the heavens
and the earth.
Wu Juntao 吴钧陶 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21983&ttt=)
Reflections in a Night While Travelling
The breezes stroke along the grassy strands;
The junk-mast tall and lone in darkness stands.
The speckled stars spread down to the fields wide;
The moon emerges from the rough river tide.
My pen has won me fame – has it been my will?
An official should not retire till old and ill.
What am I like that is everywhere wandering?
A gull between heaven and earth hovering!
Xu Zhongjie 徐忠杰 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21983&ttt=)
Strong Feelings Aroused on a Boat
Over fine grass along the bank, mild breeze blow.
I sail alone, at night, on a high-masted boat.
The wild plain is extensive, with stars hanging low.
Out of the river rises the moon, which seems to float.
By no other means can a man make a name,
Than by flourishing a literary quill?
An official should be able to lay claim—
To a good rest, when he is aged or ill.
What am I like, drifting like this, before I die?
Like a lonely gull between the sea and the sky.
Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang Poetry and Prose of the Tang and Song (Beijing, China: Chinese Literature, 1984)
Thoughts When Travelling at Night
Between soft, grassy banks in the light breeze
A lone, tall-masted boat sails through the night;
Stars hang low above the wide, flat plain,
And up rides the moon as the mighty river flows on.
Since I have not in truth won fame by writing,
In old age and illness I should retire from office.
Drifting along, to what can I liken myself?
A lonely beach gull between heaven and earth.
Zhang
Tingchen, Wei Bosi 张廷琛、魏博思 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
Night Thoughts on a Journey
Slender reeds, faint breeze along the banks.
High-masted boat, alone in the night.
Stars descend, rimming the endless land.
The moon emerges, on the great river flowing.
How is it that I’m famous for my compositions?
Out of office, old and sick – to and fro, hither and yon
What do I resemble, after all?
A lone gull, poised between earth and sky.
Zhang Xueqing 章学清 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=80000&ttt=)
Night
Thoughts on a Mooring Boat
The gentle
breeze caresses grassy shores,
Tonight my
lone tall-masted boat here moors.
The
far-flung stars around vast plains hang low,
The moon in
River billows onwards ho!
Mere writing
should not win me glorious fame;
Now old and
ill, off office, who to blame?
Adrift, to
what can I myself compare?
A gull on
chilly Earth, not free from care.
unknown (dictionary.jongo.com/lesson/detail/318.html)
Thoughts
While Mooring At Night
Riverside
grass caressed by wind so light,
A tall
lonely mast seems to pierce the night.
The
boundless plain is fringed with stars hanging low;
The moon
upsurges with the river on the flow.
Will fame
e'er come to men of letters mere?
Old, ill,
retired from office, I feel drear.
Drifting
along, what do I look to be?
A wild gull
seeking shelter on the sea.
unknown (www.geometry.net/detail/authors/tu_fu_page_no_4.html)
Thoughts of a Night Traveler
Fine grass
And a slight breeze along the shore;
The tall mast
Of the solitary boat at night. The stars hang down
Over the wild plain.
The moon leaps up
And the great river flows on. How can my poems
Ever bring me fame?
My age and an illness
Have cost me my official post. Floating...floating...
What do I most resemble? A lonely sand gull Lost in the wide world.