To Chengtu in the South,
Now dispossessed of wealth,
An old man came,
Poor farmer now.
He sits with bitter sorrow
As he stares back to the North,
Yet finds oblivion from strife
Paddling his little boat,
Accompanied by his wife,
Watching their children
Bathing in the clear water,
And butterflies courting
One another and seeing
Two Lotus blossoms on one stalk together;
Taking tea later with his family,
Or else the pure juice of cane-sugar
And thinking how drinking
From plain crockery
Is as good as the finest jade.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
very touching narrative poem...specially the ending lines make me sigh-10
Tu Fu is a wonderful poet of the Tang Dynasty. His poems are very gentle and he has a kindly sense of humour too usually mocking himself for drinking too much wine! China was in turmoil at that time due to two Tatar rebellions and many families were displaced. Much of his work has echoes today with those sad refugee problems.