Poem for Halloween

The squirrels are

More reckless this time of year

Frantic in their industry

Throwing themselves readily

In harm's way

And what about

Our own demons

Will we finally cast them out tonight

Or as soon as the doorbell rings

Will we welcome them back

And lavish their costumes 

With praise

In the House of the 8-1/2th Moon (2 poems by Li He)

The Tang poet Li He wrote a series of twelve poems, one for each full moon of the year.  Last night there was a half moon, which marks our progress between the 8th and 9th moons of the year, at least according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.  So here are my translations of the two poems from Li He's series to help anchor us better in the present moment.

The Eighth Moon

The widow weeps

Long into the night

A lonely traveler

Dreams of returning home

Under the eaves

A spider spins its thread

From the hanging basket

Flowers cascade down

Just beyond the eaves

Moonlight splatters the ground

The trees cast their slanting shadows

Upon the window screen

The dew saturates the air

And settles everywhere

Decorating the pond with heavy

Drops atop the lotus leaves

八月

李贺

孀妾怨长夜     独客梦归家

傍檐虫缉丝     向壁灯垂花

檐外月光吐     帘中树影斜

悠悠飞露姿     点缀池中荷

The Ninth Moon

The summer pavilion is empty now

But for a few stray fireflies

The sky has a watery hue

The bamboo yellows

And the lotus withers

In the pond’s chill depth

The moonlight will embroider everything

As it falls like a blessing

On the chill park and courtyard below

So tranquil, empty and pure

The frost dispersed by the wind

Shines like a lattice haphazardly

Strewn across the grass

Nature’s most elaborate and colorful

Brocade lies in thick layers underfoot

Not even a rooster will cry

To greet the dawn

Only stone pendants tinkling

And then the crows

Will caw loudly

As the golden leaves

From the Paulownia tree

Keep falling to the ground

九月

李贺

离宫散萤天似水     竹黄池冷芙蓉死

月缀金铺光脉脉     凉苑虚庭空澹白

霜花飞飞风草草     翠锦斓斑满层道

鸡人罢唱晓珑璁     鸦啼金井下疏桐

-

    

I Am the Poem Come Alive

I am the signifier

When it's begun to wobble
Embracing all ten thousand meanings
Under the broad blue sky

I am the dipthong
And the glottal
Along with all the silence
Left behind

I am the road less traveled
And the one well trod
Unforked and recombined
Where opposites
Roost side by side
To the consternation
And delight of the sages
Of days gone by

I am the poem come alive

Adrift in Twilight (Wang Wei)

An autumn evening can be unsurpassed in its tranquility.  This is something that the great Tang poets knew for certain, and they left us with many excellent poems bearing witness to the fact.  Here is a poem I translated this morning by one of my favorites - Wang Wei.  We all know how it works.  An October afternoon such as today, brilliant as it is, will begin to fade away that much sooner, and twilight moves forward correspondingly.  The net effect is that we are gently lulled into submission to the advance of darkness by a few inches every day.

The autumn sky

Is suffused with clarity

Once more far distant

The human world recedes

Calm and unhurried

A crane stands

By the sand’s edge

The clouds wrapped twice

Around the mountain

The ripples subside slowly

Stilled at twilight’s request

A spotless moon has

Idly ascended into place

In the night alone

I take up my paddle

Hesitant to go further

Much less return

泛前陂

秋空自明迥      况复远人间

畅以沙际鹤     兼之云外山

澄波淡将夕      清月皓方闲

此夜任孤棹     夷犹殊未还

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