Snow Poems (by Liu Zhong Yuan and Bai Juyi)

White out conditions on the East End this morning, as we are besieged by a winter storm with cyclonic winds coming out of the northeast. Our dog Bayleigh, who is part Chow, frolicked in the larger drifts, and she seemed quite eager to start her Iditarod training.  My hands were too cold to venture a photo, nor did conditions seem suitable for my cheap Samsung phone.  So instead I came back home and translated this poem by Liu Zhong Yuan which pretty much captures the scene I encountered along the creek this morning, that is excluding the old man in the straw hat - that would be a metaphor for me and Bayleigh I suppose.

Snowy River

Across a thousand mountains

Birds flown out of sight

For ten thousand miles

The path extends

Not a footprint

To be found

A solitary boat

Where an old man

In a broad rimmed

Straw hat

Fishes in solitude

On the cold snowy river

*  *  *  *  *

江雪

千山鳥飛絕

萬徑人蹤滅

孤舟蓑笠翁

獨釣寒江雪

The image above is a painting attributed to Wang Wei.  Rather it is a photo of the painting and the painting itself has now been lost.  It was formerly in the Imperial collection of the Qing Emperors but it disappeared over the course of the calamitous wars and upheavals of China's 20th century.  It seems to be the last trace we have of one of Wang Wei's paintings.


And since the forecast calls for snow all day here as a lagniappe is a second snow poem, this one from the incomparable Bai Juyi.

Snowy Night

Under the covers

And still shivering

Truly astounded

Again I look

Out the window

Into the luminous night

Filled with awareness

Of the heavy snow

That has fallen

At this late hour

The only sound I hear

Is the breaking

Of a bamboo branch

夜雪

白居易

已讶衾枕冷

复见窗户明

夜深知雪重

时闻折竹声