A dying vine, an old tree, an evening duck,
A foot bridge, a flowing brook, and a farm house near;
An ancient path, a westerly wind, a skinny horse, and
A man with a broken heart, at the heaven's edge!
- by Ma Tze-Yuen in Sung Dynasty and translated by Percy Kuo
This is a unique Chinese classical poem composed with no verb. The poet used the words to paint a poetic picture when the author was demoted and lost his appointed post.
It expresses his longing for the comfort of his home. Just like the duck is heading for the nearby farm house in the evening, so is this poet and his tired skinny horse heading for a very far away home, sweet home!
枯滕老樹昏鴨
小橋流水人家
古道西風瘦馬
段腸人在天涯
⋯馬致遠⋯
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem