[updated September 2022]
Mountain Village: Five Poems
山 村：五 绝
(1)
竹 篱 茅 屋 趁 溪 斜
春 入 山 村 处 处 花。
无 象 太 平 还 有 象
孤 烟 起 处 是 人 家。
Shan Cai: Wu Jue
Zhu li mao wu chen xi xie
Chun ru shan cai chu chu hua.
Wu xiang tai ping huan you xiang
Gu yan qi chu shi ren jia.
(2)
烟 雨 濛 蒙 鸡 犬 声
有 生 何 处 不 安 生。
但 令 黄 犊 无 人 佩
布 谷 何 劳 也 劝 耕。
Yan yu meng meng ji quan sheng
You sheng he chu bu an sheng.
Dan ling huang du wu ren pei
Bu gu he lao ye geng.
(3)
老 翁 七 十 自 腰 镰
惭 愧 春 山 笋 蕨 甜。
岂 是 闻 韶 解 忘 味
迩 来 三 月 食 无 盐。
Lao weng qi shi zi yao lian
Can kui chun shan sun jue tian.
Qi shi wen shao jie wang wei
Er lai san yue shi wu yan.
(4)
杖 藜 裹 饭 去 匆 匆
过 眼 青 钱 转 手 空。
赢 得 儿 童 语 音 好
一 年 强 半 在 城 中。
Zhang li guo fan qu cong cong
Guo yan qing qian zhuan shou kou.
Ying dei er tong yu yin hao
Yi nian qiang ban zai cheng zhong.
(5)
窃 禄 忘 归 我 自 羞
丰 年 底 事 汝 忧 愁。
不 须 更 待 飞 鸢 坠
方 念 平 生 马 少 游。
Qie lu wang gui wo zi xiu
Feng nian di shi ru you chou.
Bu xu geng dai fei yuan zhui
Fang nian ping sheng ma shao you.
Mountain Village: Five Poems
(1)
Bamboo fence, thatched houses take advantage of, follow small stream contours
Spring enters a mountain village, surrounded by flowers.
Without signage, you know this is a place of peace and tranquility
Solitary smoke plumes rise, families together.
(2)
Mist and drizzle, sounds of chickens
While alive, who does not want to love life.
I wish these people can continue to live without weapons
Do not need the cuckoo birds to signal the time to plant.
(3)
Seventy year old man carries a sickle at his waist
Feels ashamed that he has to forage for spring mountain bamboo shoots and sweet ferns.
Listening to beautiful classical music, the elite forget the food’s flavor
But the poor peasants have suffered for three months with no salt.
(4)
With walking sticks and wraps of cooked rice, they depart in a rush
Turn around, with borrowed money spent, their hands soon empty.
Children learn the language and ways of the big city
For half a year they stay inside the city walls.
(5)
Shame on me for accepting a small official’s salary
With a bumper harvest, troubles and concerns should be gone.
I should go home, not be like the hawks who drop from the sky
Or like a Han general who stayed too long, accumulated too much wealth, yet felt sick with remorse.
Notes:
Han general: Refers to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD)
Commentary:
The first two poems could have come right out of The Dao De Jing by Laozi, with his descriptions of a rural paradise. For these I have tagged these poems under the category “Savior Vivre”. The last three poems take a very different turn in mood and content.