Du Fu

Hooded crows fly at night

uttering harsh criesabove Welcoming Autumn Gate,then head for people’s houses,pecking at the lofty roofs,roofs beneath which high officialsscurry to escape barbarians.The golden whip is broken in two,the nine horses are run to death,*but it is still not possiblefor all of royal blood to flee together…In plain sight below his waista precious ornament of blue coral,the…

Often a man’s life is such

like the constellations Shen and Shangwhich never share the same sky.If not this evening, then what eveningshould we share this lamp light?How long can our youth and vigor last?The hair at our temples is already gray.We inquire about old acquaintancesto find that half are ghosts–shocked cries betraythe torment of our hearts.How could I have knownthat…

In front of the temple of Chu-ko Liang there is an old cypress. Its branches

spans its rimy bark withstands the washing of the rain. Its jet-colored toprises two thousand feet to greet the sky. Prince and statesman have long sincepaid their debt to time; but the tree continues to be cherished among men. Whenthe clouds come, continuous vapors link it with the mists of the long WuGorge; and when…

You, General Cao Ba,

now live as a peasant,a cold-door commoner.Your ancestor’s heroic agecarved out kingdoms of old,and its cultural brilliance, its style,still survive in your work.To learn calligraphyyou first studied Lady Wei;your only regret was not surpassingthe great Wang Xizhi .You said, ‘Caught up in my painting,I give no thought to old age;riches and rank are to meno…