Day of Nines
九 日
去 年 登 高 郪 县 北
今 日 重 在 涪 江 滨。
苦 遭 白 发 不 相 放
羞 见 黄 花 无 数 新。
世 乱 郁 郁 久 为 客
路 难 悠 悠 常 傍 人。
酒 阑 却 忆 十 年 事
肠 断 骊 山 清 路 尘！
Jiu Ri
Qu nian deng gao qi xian bei
Jin ri chong zai fu jiang bin.
Ku zao bai fa bu xiang fang
Xiu jian huang hua wu shu xin.
Shi luan yu yu jiu wei ke
Lu nan you you chang bang ren.
Jiu lan que yi shi nian shi
Chang duan li shan qing lu chen!
Day of Nines
Last year at this time, climbed up high on a mountain in northern Qi Xian
Today, again still live along the Fu River banks.
Suffer with white hair, no one has let me go out
Feel ashamed when I see the new and fresh yellow chrysanthemums.
Time of society chaos, for a long time people of talent are made into travelers
Numerous and difficult highways back to the palace are always around me.
After wine, realize for ten years we have been a country lost
Broken heart, the road to Li Shan hot springs were once clear and clean.
Notes:
[Du Fu has been stuck in the town of Xinzhou for two years. He cannot get out because of local armies fighting between where he is and his home.]
Day of Nines: The ninth day of the ninth lunar month, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Qi Xian: Region in southern Sichuan Province.
Fu River: A tributary to a major tributary of the Changjiang (Yanzi River) in the province of Sichuan.
Yellow Chrysanthemums: It is autumn.
Li Shan hot springs: Located about 20 miles east of current day Xi’an and between the ancient capital cities of Chang’an and Luoyang. Surrounding gardens, pools, and palace built by Tang emperor Xuanzong, and used by Tang Dynasty emperors as a place of pleasure during cold winter months.