[updated September 2022]
Staying Overnight in Zhengzhou
宿 郑 州
朝 与 周 人 辞
暮 投 郑 人 宿。
他 乡 绝 俦 侣
孤 客 亲 僮 仆。
宛 洛 望 不 见
秋 霖 晦 平 陆。
田 父 草 际 归
村 童 雨 中 牧。
主 人 东 皋 上
时 稼 绕 茅 屋。
虫 思 机 杼 鸣
雀 喧 禾 黍 熟。
明 当 渡 京 水
昨 晚 犹 金 谷。
此 去 欲 何 言
穷 边 徇 微 禄。
Su Zheng Zhou
Zhao yu zhou ren ci
Mu tou zheng ren su.
Ta xiang jue chou lu
Gu ke qin tong pu.
Wan luo wang bu jian
Qiu lin hui ping lu.
Tian fu cao ju gui
Cun tong yu zhong mu.
Zhu ren dong gao shang
Shi jia rao mao wu.
Chong si ji zhu ming
Que xuan he shu shu.
Ming dang du jing shui
Zuo wan you jin gu.
Ci qu yu he yan
Qiong bian xun wei lu.
Staying Overnight in Zhengzhou
I took leave of Luoyang at dawn
Put up for the night at sunset near Zhengzhou.
Breaking off friendships in my home town
This lonely traveler values the houseboy’s company.
Cannot see Luoyang in the distance
Heavy continuous autumn rain on the dark flat land.
Old farmers gather around the hay
Village shepherd boys take temporary shelter from the rain.
Landlord’s crops stacked high
At sowing time, reapers must detour around his thatched house.
Insects chirping while I ponder the conception of this poem
Noisy sparrows in the standing rice and ripe broom corn millet.
Tomorrow I must cross the Jing River
Yesterday evening still in western Luoyang.
What words to describe this departure
I’m off to the edge of poverty for this low-level official’s salary.
Notes:
Luoyang: The eastern capital city.
Zhengzhou: The provincial capital of Henan
Jing River: Tributary to the Wei River near the capital city of Chang’an (Xi’an), which is the largest tributary to the Yellow River.