[updated October 2022]
Follow the Example of Tao Yuanming
效 陶 彭 泽
霜 露 悴 百 草
时 菊 独 妍 华。
物 性 有 如 此
寒 暑 其 奈 何。
掇 英 泛 浊 醪
日 入 会 田 家。
尽 醉 茅 檐 下
一 生 岂 在 多。
Xiao Tao Peng Ze
Shuang lu cui bai cao
Shi ju du yan hua
Wu xing you ru ci
Han shu qi nai he.
Duo ying fan zhao lao
Ri ru hui tian jia
Jin zui mao yan xia
Yi sheng qi zai duo.
Follow the Example of Tao Yuanming
Frosty dew withers and whitens the grasses
This season, chrysanthemums alone radiant and enchanting.
Things of this world naturally are this way
How can they resist the changes from the cold to the summer heat?
Gather the flowers to float on the wine: dregs, stems and all
This occurs daily in the farm houses.
Underneath the thatched eaves one can drink well into intoxication
All of one’s life, having this one experience is enough.
Notes:
Tao Yuanming (365-427): Famous Eastern Jin Dynasty poet. His biography and poem translations can also be found on this website.