Thinking of My Brothers on a Moonlit Night (visiting Tu Fu)

Travel is curtailed as war drums sound
On the border, a lone goose calls out to autumn
Frost seems to glow in the late night air
The bright moon reminds me of home
My brothers have all gone, each his own way
No one there to tell me if they are alive or dead
Who knows if my letters reach them
When the fighting never ends

Literal translations of classic Chinese poetry can be found at chinese-poems.com. This is my interpretation of a poem by Tu Fu. The literal translation, as provided at chinese-poems.com, is as follows:

Thinking of My Brothers on a Moonlit Night

Garrison drum cut person movement
Autumn border one goose sound
Dew from today night white
Moon is homeland bright
Have brother all disperse
No home ask die life
Send letter all not reach
Particularly as not stop fighting

My other interpretations can be found here.

Image source: the iris / The J. Paul Getty Museum

Winding River #2 (visiting Tu Fu)

Every day I return from court with spring clothing to pawn
And every day I return from the river area drunk as can be
Many are the places that hold my wine debt
It’s a rare thing to live to seventy
I see painted lady butterflies go deep within the flowers
And I see water drops fall from dragonflies in their leisurely flight
They say that time is fleeting
Brief is our time together, though brief it should not be

Literal translations of classic Chinese poetry can be found at chinese-poems.com. This is my interpretation of a poem by Tu Fu. The literal translation, as provided at chinese-poems.com, is as follows:

Winding River (2)

Court return every day pawn spring clothes
Every day river area utmost drunk return
Wine debt common go place have
Life seventy always rare
Through flowers vanessa butterfly deep deep see
Drop water dragonfly leisurely fly
Pass on speech time all be on move
Brief time mutual recognise not mutual separate

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

A Guest Arrives (visiting Tu Fu)

Spring water surrounds my hut
Each morning, my only guests are a flock of gulls
My floral path never being swept for guests
Today, for the first time, a gentleman reaches for the rough gate
Far from the market, I have enough dinner for only one
And just one cup of wine in my poor home
I decide to share a drink with my elderly neighbor
I call to him and go to the fence with the last of the wine

Literal translations of classic Chinese poetry can be found at chinese-poems.com. This is my interpretation of a poem by Tu Fu. The literal translation, as provided at chinese-poems.com, is as follows:

A Guest Arrives

Hut south hut north all spring water
Only see flock gulls day day come
Flower path not once reason visitor sweep
Rough gate today start for gentleman open
Dish supper market far not double taste
Cup wine home poor only old coarse wine
Consent with neighbour old man opposite drink
Partition fence shout get exhaust remaining cup

Image source: asia.si.edu