Lu Yu: Upon a Horse in Southern Henan

 

Upon a Horse in Southern Henan

 

南 郑 马 上 作
南 郑 春 残 信 马 行
通 都 气 象 尚 峥 嵘。
迷 空 游 素 凭 陵 去
曳 线 飞 鸢 跋 扈 鸣。
落 日 断 云 唐 阙 废
淡 烟 芳 草 汉 坛 平。
犹 嫌 未 豁 胸 中 气
目 断 南 山 天 际 横。
Nan Zheng Ma Shang Zuo

Nan zheng chun can xin ma xing
Tong dou qi xiang shang zheng rong.
Mi kong you su pin ling qu
Ye xian fei yuan ba hu ming.

Luo ri duan yun tang que fei
Dan yan fang cao han tan ping.
You xian wei huo xiong zhong qi
Mu duan nan shan tian ji heng.

 

Upon a Horse in Southern Henan

Late spring, leisurely traveling on a horse through southern Henan
Everywhere people feeling strong and remarkable.
Tree pollen on the wing into the sky and onto the ground
Pull down on kite strings to make the whistles squawk.

Setting sun on scattered clouds and the ruins of Tang Que
Nearby, Han Tan with thin mists and fragrant grasses.
The middle of my heart and breath have to open up
From west to east on the horizon, the Southern mountains have all these historical things.

 

Notes:

Tang Que: A que  is a free-standing ceremonial gate tower. This one was built during the Tang Dynasty up in the mountains of Sichuan Province.

Han Tan: Ancient and historical battle site during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD).