[updated October 2022]
East of the City Wall
东 郊
吏 舍 跼 终 年
出 郊 旷 清 曙。
杨 柳 散 和 风
青 山 澹 吾 思。
依 丛 适 自 憩
缘 涧 还 复 去。
微 雨 蔼 芳 原
春 鸠 鸣 何 处？
乐 幽 心 屡 止
遵 事 迹 犹 遽。
终 罢 斯 结 庐
慕 陶 真 可 庶。
Dong Jiao
Li she ju zhong nian
Chu jiao kuang qing shu.
Yang liu san he feng
Qing shan dan wu si.
Yi cong shi zi qi
Yuan jian huan fu qu.
Wei yu ai fang yuan
Chun jiu ming he chu?
Le you xin lu zhi
Zun shi ji you ju.
Zhong ba si jie lu
Mu tao zhen ke shu.
East of the City Wall
All year long I live in a petty official’s residence
At daybreak go outside the city walls for clarity and expansion.
Scattered poplars and willows in a gentle breeze
Ponder the tranquility of green mountains.
Once in a while stop to rest
Again follow the widening canyons.
Early light rainfall yields lush and fragrant plants
Where are these chirping spring turtledoves?
Frequently this heart-mind happy and secluded
Hastily leave to adhere to required office tasks.
Eventually these productions will stop , time then to build a hut
Admire Tao Yuanming’s true simplicity of common people.
Notes:
Tao Yuanming: (365-427) Famous Jin Dynasty poet. For more information see his biography and many of his poems on this website.