Reading “Mountains and Seas Stories” : Thirteen Poems: No. 9
读 “山 海 经”： 十 三 首
夸 父 诞 宏 志
乃 与 日 竟 走。
俱 至 虞 渊 下
似 若 无 胜 负。
神 力 既 殊 妙
倾 河 焉 足 有。
馀 迹 寄 邓 林
功 竟 在 身 后。
Du “Shan Hai Jing“: Shi San Shou
(9)
Kua fu dan hong zhi
Nai you ri jing zou.
Ju zhi yu yuan xia
Si ruo wu sheng fu.
Shen li ji shu miao
Qing he yan zu you.
Yu ji ji deng lin
Gong jing zai shen hou.
Reading “Mountains and Seas Stories” : Thirteen Poems: No. 9
Kuafu had one grand ambition
Wanted to compete with, and race the sun.
He and the sun reached the deep pool, after sunset resting place together
Hard to tell who won and who lost.
He had an exceedingly brilliant spiritual force
Able to sufficiently drain the Yellow River.
His grounded walking stick became a peach tree forest
After his death, this forest was his successful legacy.
Notes:
Kuafu was a legendary braggart, with a vain ambition of overtaking the rays of the sun. He died of thirst in the this pursuit. Sounds a bit like our Icarus.