In Colder Weather Recall Li Bai
天 末 怀 李
凉 风 起 天 末
君 子 意 如 何？
鸿 雁 几 时 到
江 湖 秋 水 多。
文 章 增 命 达
魑 魅 喜 人 过。
应 共 冤 魂 语
投 诗 赠 汨 罗。
Tian Mo Huai Li
Liang feng qi tian mo
Jun zi yi ru he?
Hong yan ji shi dao
Jiang hu qiu shui duo.
Wen zhang zeng ming da
Chi mei xi ren guo.
Ying gong yuan hun yu
Tou shi zeng mi luo.
In Colder Weather Recall Li Bai
With colder weather, cool winds finally arise
Does this weather feel anything like your youth?
Soon the migratory birds will arrive with their letters
So much autumn water fills our rivers and lakes.
Your written work has avoided a dark destiny
Valuable people simply bypass the man-eating mountain spirits.
Your soul like Qu Yuan, can share the words of injustice
You can send your poems as a gift to him under the Miluo River.
Notes:
Migratory birds: In Chinese folklore, these geese bring letters from afar.
Qu Yuan: (ca. 340-278 BC) Poet and politician famous for having some of his work collected into the Songs of Chu anthology. Regarded as the first Chinese poet to attached his personal name to his poems. Famously committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River after his nation’s capital fell to the Qin. The Dragon Boat Festival recognizes his sacrifice for his country.
Miluo River: Tributary to the Xiang River that empties into Dongting Lake in northern Hunan Province.