The flowering pear trees
are like white frost
the willows a deep green
willow catkins float past
flowers fill the city
I have a sense of sadness
that comes from watching
a couple of snowy pear trees
how many Qing Ming festivals
are left for me to witness
in this brief lifetime?
translated by Jiann I. Lin & David Young
On Not Seeing Li Po by Tu Fu
I have not seen Master Li
this long time
His pretended madness
—what a truly pitiable thing!
the whole world
wants to be rid of him
I alone cherish his talent
So nimble-witted
he can write
thousands of poems
forced to walk the roads
drinking country wine
On K’uang Shan
his old study
—when his hair is white
it might be best
to go back there
translated by C.H. Kwock & Vincent McHugh
Winter Evening: Rejoicing that a Friend Has Come by Li Han-yung
What corner of earth
haven’t you been to?
and tonight
you’re here
in a friendly glow
Your village home
—you’ve been away
a long time
The war
not over yet
Wicker lamp getting dim
still a flick’ring light
snow
falling heavy without a sound
What a lot of things
you have seen and heard!
You must talk and talk
until morning
translated by C.H. Kwock & Vincent McHugh
another translation of one of my favorite poems by Li Shang-yin: Message to a Northern Friend on a Rainy Night by Li Shang-yin
You ask when I’m coming back
The date not set yet
On Pa Shah
night rain
brimming autumn pools
Ah! when shall we
at western window
trim candles together
and gossip about
night’s rain on Pa Shan?
translated by C.H. Kwock & Vince nt McHugh
Christmas, 2025, in Moda today
coffee cold
oh yes
oh yes
but this is what
microwaves were invented for
and I
ten thousand years old
in memories
will sit on my new deck chair
on my balcony
on Şevki Bey Sok
smoke a cigar
drink Irish whiskey
and dream of this holiday
of home
five thousand miles
away
ten thousand years
ago
Written to the Tune of Sheng Ch’a-tzu by Niu Shi-chi
Spring mountains
Fog about to disperse
Sky clear
stars few
A fading moon
shines on your cheek
We cry at parting
as the day comes up
So many words
but the feeling
strong as ever
Turning your head
to look back
you call over and over
“Remember the Green-Skirt Girl
and everywhere on earth
be tender with the grass”
translated by C.H. Kwock & Vincent McHugh
from Rejoicing at Master Chen’s Unexpected Visit by Po Chu-yi
Ha! Never make light
of a cup of wine—
it can pour out
our whole lives!
translated by C. H. Kwock & Vincent McHugh
untitled poem by Wang Fan-chih
Hundred-year men?
None in the world
But we slave to make
thousand-year songs
beating our iron
to bar our death
Seeing the ghosts
clap hands
and laugh
translated by C.H. Kwock & Vincent McHugh
Title lost by Su Tung-p’o
Gazing a thousand miles
landscape of water and clouds
horizontal sky
a stripe of misty light
I don’t see any return
back to my old hometown
it’s only in my dreams
I visit the Yangtze Delta.
translated by Jiann I. Lin & David Young
A Weary Night by Su Tung-p’o
Tired, sleepless on my pillow
worried all night long
the windows are still dark
no sign of dawn
in this lonely village
one dog barks all night
the moon wanes
few people on the roads
my thinning hair
has turned bright white
my years of travel have taught me
how to be homesick
out in the empty fields
spinster cicades are buzzing
nothing to show for their labor
nothing accomplished.
translated by Jiann I. Lin & David Young
Leonard Durso 