Du Fu: The Shrine of Yu

 

The Shrine of Yu

 

禹 庙
禹 庙 空 山 里
秋 风 落 日 斜。
荒 庭 垂 橘 柚
古 屋 画 龙 蛇。
云 气 嘘 青 壁
江 声 走 白 沙。
早 知 乘 四 载
疏 凿 控 三 巴。
Yu Miao

Yu miao kong shan li
Qiu feng luo ri xie.
Huang ting chui ju you
Gu wu hua long she.

Yun qi xu qing bi
Jiang sheng zou bai sha.
Zao zhi cheng si zai
Shu zao kong san se.

 

The Shrine of Yu

The shrine of engineer Yu inside empty mountains
Autumn winds blow at sunset.
Uncultivated land, tangerines and pomaloes hang down around pavilions
Old houses with pictures of dragons and snakes.

Atmosphere slowly exhales, clouds along the green cliffs
River sounds while walking in the white sand.
Early on, Yu traveled by cart pulled with four animals
He broke through several places to provide water for irrigation and canals.

 

 

Notes:

Yu:  (c. 2123-2025 BC) Famous philosopher king who established the Xia Dynasty, and who spent many years building the Yellow River flood control projects.