1

Selected Poetry of Du Fu
杜甫詩選

Translated by Stephen Owen

Selected by Thomas Mazanec

Chinese 80: Masterpieces of Chinese Literature

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Sources
• All translations, footnotes, and in-line notes, as well as the Introduction, come from
Stephen Owen, The Poetry of Du Fu, 6 vols., ed. Paul Kroll and Ding Xiang Warner
(DeGruyter, 2016). In parentheses, numbers are given as “Book number . poem number,”
so “1.2” is the second poem in book 1 of Du Fu’s poetry, as organized by Owen.
• Section titles and biographical notes come from David Young, Du Fu: A Life in Poetry
(Knopf, 2018).
 Part 1. Early Years in the East, 737–744
In this period of his life, his twenties and early thirties, Du Fu had failed the Imperial
examination at the capital, Chang’an, and had moved to Yanzhou and then to the eastern capital
at Luoyang. Here he met Li Bai, eleven years old and already a famous and innovative poet. The
friendship between the two poets was undoubtedly the most significant formative element in Du
Fu’s artistic development. Given his disappointment in the examinations, the notion of the poet-
scholar as a kind of hermit or recluse was already attractive to Du Fu, and along with Li Bai,
who had been sent away from the court, he experimented with the role, in both his life and his
poems. But he was too young, too ambitious, and of too limited means to make a permanent
commitment to being a scholarly recluse.
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1 (1.2)
Gazing on the Peak
望嶽

And what then is Daizong like?—1 岱宗夫如何

over Qi and Lu, green unending.2 齊魯青未了
Creation compacted spirit splendors here, 造化鐘神秀
4 Dark and Light, riving dusk and dawn. 陰陽割昏曉
Exhilarating the breast, it produces layers of cloud; 蕩胸生曾雲
splitting eye-pupils, it has homing birds entering. 決眥入歸鳥
Someday may I climb up to its highest summit, 會當淩絕頂
8 with one sweeping view see how small all other mountains are.3 一覽眾山小

Before setting out in earnest to seek advancement, Du Fu traveled in the east of China, travels he
wrote about often in his later years. No poems survive from his travels in the lower Yangzi, but a
small number of pieces remain from his tour of the region centered in modern Shandong. Mount
Tai was the “Eastern Marchmount,” one of the five symbolic mountains that defined Chinese
territory—a Marchmount for each of the four directions and one for the center.

1
The Peak in question is Mount Tai, here referred to by its honorific name Daizong.
2
The north side of Mount Tai was the ancient state of Qi; its south side was the state of Lu.
3
Echoing Mencius (VIIA), telling how Confucius, when he climbed Mount Tai, thought all the world small.
 3

2 (1.11)
Painted Hawk
畫鷹

Frosty winds rise from plain white silk, 素練風霜起

a gray hawk, the painting wondrously done. 蒼鷹畫作殊
It perks up its body, longing for the crafty hare, 㩳身思狡兔
4 it looks sidelong, like a melancholy Hu. 側目似愁胡
One could pinch the light on its tie-ring, 絛镟光堪擿
on the porch its stance can be summoned. 軒楹勢可呼
When will it strike the common birds?— 何當擊凡鳥
8 blood and feathers sprinkling weeds of the plain. 毛血灑平蕪
 4

3 (1.24)
Presented to Li Bai
贈李白

Autumn comes, I turn to look at you, still wind-tossed dandelion puff, 秋來相顧尚飄蓬
not yet having achieved the cinnabar grain, embarrassed before 未就丹砂愧葛洪
Ge Hong.1
Drinking yourself sick, singing crazily, you pass your days in vain— 痛飲狂歌空度日
fly into action and rampage to intimidate whom? 飛揚跋扈為誰雄

1
The “cinnabar grain” is the elixir of immortality. Ge Hong (ca. 284–364) was a famous alchemist, whose success
puts Du Fu and Li Bai to shame.
 Part 2. Back at the Capital, 745–750
Too young to take up the hermit’s life and too ambitious to be bohemian in the way Li Bai was,
Du Fu returned to the court and capital, Chang’an, where he had previously failed the
examination. No doubt he hoped to find a government post. Another exam opportunity presented
itself in 747, but nobody passed because it was politically expedient to say that the emperor had
not overlooked anyone of talent. The slight to an already established and admired poet was
considerable. It left Du Fu seeking patronage, without much success, while he lingered in the
capital. He talks often of retiring to a quiet life, probably without any very serious intention. But
he was growing steadily in strength and skill as a poet.
 6

4 (1.28)
On a Spring Day, Recalling Li Bai
春日憶李白

Li Bai it is, poems without rival, 白也詩無敵

wind-borne, thoughts not like others. 飄然思不群
Fresh and clear, a Commander Yu,1 清新庾開府
4 noble and free, an Adjutant Bao.2 俊逸鮑參軍
I, north of the Wei, trees in spring weather, 渭北春天樹
you, east of the Yangzi, twilight clouds. 江東日暮雲
When will there be a goblet of ale 何時一尊酒
8 discussing writing’s fine points again with you? 重與細論文

1
The sixth-century poet Yu Xin (513–581).
2
The fifth-century poet Bao Zhao (414–466).
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5 (2.8)
Song of Leyou Park
樂遊園歌

The ancient park of Leyou rises up dense and fresh, 樂游古園崒森爽

emerald plants stretch on endlessly, growing tall and thick. 煙綿碧草萋萋長
For the young gentleman’s splendid feast its position is highest of all, 公子華筵勢最高
4 facing our ale are Qin’s rivers, flat as the palm of a hand. 秦川對酒平如掌
With ladles of long-life wood we show genuine forthright feelings; 長生木瓢示真率
then further we joke over “saddled horses,” and engage in madcap 更調鞍馬狂歡賞
pleasures.1
With green spring waves and ripples is Lotus Park;2 青春波浪芙蓉園
8 peals of thunder in daylight, the entourage in the Walled Passageway.3 白日雷霆夾城仗
Heaven’s Gates open under clear skies, boundlessly vast, 閶闔晴開昳蕩蕩
azure tents by the Twisting River, silver placards in lines. 曲江翠幕排銀榜
Brushing waters, slowly lingering, dancing sleeves soar; 拂水低徊舞袖翻
12 through the clouds, piercingly clear, the sound of singing rises. 緣雲清切歌聲上

I think back on the times that I was drunk year after year, 卻憶年年人醉時
nowadays before I get drunk I’ve already grown sad. 只今未醉已先悲
These several strands of hair turned white, how can I get rid of them? 數莖白髮那拋得
16 a hundred forfeits of full cups, and still I don’t refuse.4 百罰深杯亦不辭
I also know that in this sagely reign a low scholar is repulsive, 聖朝亦知賤士醜
when each single creatures in its own right receives the grace of 一物自荷皇天慈
Sovereign Heaven.
Finished drinking, this body of mine has nowhere to go, 此身飲罷無歸處
20 I stand alone in a vast expanse chanting a poem to myself 獨立蒼茫自詠詩

Leyou Park was the highest spot in Chang’an, from which one could see the entire city. On the
last day of the first lunar month, it became a gathering place to enjoy early spring.

1
This was the name of a drinking game.
2
Part of the Qujiang, Twisting River, the great park in the southeastern corner of Chang’an.
3
The walled walkway leading from Xinqing Palace to the Twisting River, reserved for imperial outings.
4
At drinking parties various games were played, and the loser had to pay a “forfeit” of drinking a cup of ale.
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6 (3.12)
Meipi: A Ballad
渼陂行

Cen Shen and his brother both love marvels, 岑參兄弟皆好奇

they brought me here afar to visit Lake Meipi. 攜我遠來遊渼陂
Earth and sky were somber and gloomy, their colors suddenly 天地黤慘忽異色
changed:
4 ten thousand acres of rippling waves, massed lapis lazuli. 波濤萬頃堆琉璃
Lapis lazuli stretched endlessly, our boat set sail thereon, 琉璃汗漫泛舟入
the experience strange, elation peaked, then anxious thoughts 事殊興極憂思集
gathered.
The alligator rising or boat-swallowing whale are known no more, 鼉作鯨吞不復知
8 but if adverse winds come and white-capped waves, it will be too late 惡風白浪何嗟及
for regrets.

My host’s brocade sails are spread for me, 主人錦帆相為開

the boatman is utterly happy, there is no dust in the air. 舟子喜甚無氛埃
Ducks and gulls scatter wildly as the rowing chant begins, 鳧鷖散亂棹謳發
12 the warbling notes of strings and pipes come through azure missed. 絲管啁啾空翠來

By depth pole or measuring line its depths have never been fathomed, 沈竿續蔓深莫測
water-nut leaves and lotus blossoms, as clean as if scrubbed. 菱葉荷花靜如拭
Now we are right in mid-water, it is clear as the Gulf of Bo,1 宛在中流渤澥清
16 receding downward endlessly is the blackness of Mount Zhongnan. 下歸無極終南黑

The southern half of the reservoir is purely soaking the mountain, 半陂已南純浸山
whose stirred reflections shimmer quivering amid the sloshing. 動影嫋窕沖融間
The boat’s sides in the darkness bump into Edge-of-the-Clouds 船舷暝戛雲際寺
Temple,2
20 on the water’s surface the moon comes out over Indigo Fields Pass. 水面月出藍田關

At this moment the Pitch-black Dragon is spitting forth its pearl,3 此時驪龍亦吐珠
Pingyi beats the drum and herds of dragons scurry.4 馮夷擊鼓群龍趨
The Xiang Consorts and Han Maidens come forth to sing and dance,5 湘妃漢女出歌舞
24 golden poles and kingfisher banners, their light in half-presence. 金支翠旗光有無

1
The ocean off the northeastern coast.
2
In reflection.
3
The “Pitch-black (Li) Dragon” was said to have a precious pearl under its jaw. Here it is a figure for the moon
rising over Lantian (Indigo Fields) seen in reflection.
4
Pingyi was a water deity.
5
The “Xiang Consorts” are the goddesses of the River Xiang; the “Han Maidens” were nymphs of the Han River.
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A short distance head I worry only that thunderstorms will come, 咫尺但愁雷雨至
in the vast expanse I do not grasp the intention of the god. 蒼茫不曉神靈意

How long does youth last? we cannot help but grow old; 少壯幾時奈老何
28 it has ever been that sorrow and joy come so often! 向來哀樂何其多
 Part 3. War and Rebellion, 750–755
Within five years of Du Fu’s time in the capital, the political situation began to shift in ways that
would affect his poetry as well as his life. The great rebellion of An Lushan did not break out
until 755, but it was preceded by defeats in border wars against Arabs and Tartars, and the
decline of the dynasty’s power in Central Asia no doubt strengthened the internal forces of
discord that erupted in the rebellion. What is significant about Du Fu’s part in this is a sudden
widening of sympathy and attention. During these years he married and started a family, giving
him a new set of responsibilities. Friendship among writers and scholars, parties, and letters to
family and friends were still very important to him, but he was suddenly aware, for example, of
the sensibilities of military conscripts and the plights of their families. He let them speak for
themselves in his poems, perhaps inspired by similar poems Li Bai had written. Eventually he
was himself a refugee, with personal hardships to report, but well before that he had begun to
show an awareness of the full spectrum of his society, and the consequences of its political and
military upheavals, a breadth of sympathy that has endeared him to generations of readers.
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7 (2.13)
The Army Wagons: A Ballad
兵車行

Wagons rattling, 車轔轔

horses neighing, 馬蕭蕭
men walking, each with bow and arrows at the waist. 行人弓箭各在腰
4 Moms and dads, wives and children rush along seeing them off, 耶娘妻子走相送
the dust is such you cannot see the Xianyang Bridge. 塵埃不見咸陽橋
Pulling at clothes, stamping feet they block the road weeping, 牽衣頓足闌道哭
weeping voices rise straight up against the clouds and high wisps. 哭聲直上干雲霄

8 Someone passing by the road asks a man on the march, 道傍過者問行人

the man on the march says only: “They’re calling up troops often 行人但云點行頻
now.”

Some from the age of fifteen are north guarding the River, 或從十五北防河
then as soon as they reach forty they work military settlements in the 便至四十西營田
west.
12 When they leave, the village headman gives them turbans; 去時里正與裹頭
coming home, their hair is white, and then back to garrison the 歸來頭白還戍邊
frontier.

The blood that has flowed on the frontiers could make up an ocean’s 邊亭流血成海水
waters,
and our Warrior Emperor’s plans to extend the frontier are not yet 武皇開邊意未已
done.
16 Haven’t you heard 君不聞
how in two hundred prefectures East of the Mountains of the House 漢家山東二百州
of Han
a thousand villages and ten thousand hamlets grow over with thorns 千村萬落生荊杞
and briars?
Even though there are sturdy wives to hold the hoe and plow, 縱有健婦把鋤犁
the grain grows on the field boundary slopes and one can’t tell east 禾生隴畝無東西
from west.
20 Even worse for troops from Qin who endure the bitterest battles, 況復秦兵耐苦戰
they are driven on, no different from dogs and chickens. 被驅不異犬與雞

Though you sir may pose the question, 長者雖有問

does a conscript dare declare his resentment? 役夫敢申恨
24 And now in winter this year 且如今年冬
they haven’t stopped taking soldiers from West of the Passes; 未休關西卒
County officials urgently demand taxes, 縣官急索租
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but where are the taxes to come from? 租稅從何出

28 I know well to have a boy is bad, 信知生男惡

it’s better to have a daughter instead. 反是生女好
If you have a daughter you can still marry her to your neighbor; 生女猶是嫁比鄰
if you have a boy he will be buried along with all the plants. 生男埋沒隨百草

32 Haven’t you seen 君不見

by Kokonor 青海頭
white bones from ancient times that have never been recovered? 古來白骨無人收
The new ghosts are tormented by their wrongs, the former ghosts just 新鬼煩冤舊鬼哭
weep,
the skies cloudy, the rain soaks them, their voices moaning. 天陰雨濕聲啾啾

Although “The Army Wagons” makes reference to the northwestern frontiers, many Chinese
critics believe that the indirect object of Du Fu’s protest were the disastrous campaigns in the
south against the Nanzhao Kingdom in 751 and after. The historical record describes popular
disaffection for the Nanzhao campaigns in terms similar to Du Fu’s. In the northwest the loss of
tens of thousands of Tang troops in the Pyrrhic capture of the almost impregnable Stone
Fortress (Shibaocheng) from a few hundred Tibetans was a waste—caused by Xuanzong’s
insistence—but it did not seriously damage the large armies operating in Central Asia. The war
with the Tang’s old ally Nanzhao was initiated through arrogant political ineptness and
consummated by military ineptness, with the destruction of two large Tang armies and
Nanzhao’s subsequent alliance with Tibet. Du Fu is probably not referring to any single
campaign, but to the steady drain on the peasantry caused by immoderate conscription.
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8 (3.39)
Playfully Presented after My Post Was Determined1
官定後戲贈

I won’t serve as Hexi’s sheriff, 不作河西尉

dreary to bend one’s waist for others. 淒涼為折腰
This old fellow fears having to scurry around, 老夫怕趨走
4 a post in the Guard is more relaxed. 率府且逍遙
Addicted to ale, I need a modest salary, 耽酒須微祿
my wild songs are lodged in our sage dynasty. 狂歌托聖朝
Gone is my impulse to go back to the mountains of home, 故山歸興盡
8 I turn my head and face gusts of wind. 回首向風飆

1
Original note: “At the time I was relieved of the post of sheriff of Hexi and instead put in the Military Service
Section of the Right Guard Command” 時免河西尉，為右衛率府兵曹.
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9 (4.6)
Going from the Capital to Fengxian County, Singing My Feelings (five hundred
words)1
自京赴奉先縣詠懷五百字

There is a man of Duling in homespun clothes,2 杜陵有布衣

as I age, my aims grow more inept. 老大意轉拙
So foolish in what I swore to become!— 許身一何愚
4 I secretly likened myself to Hou Ji and Xie.3 竊比稷與契
At last I proved to be too large to be useful, 居然成濩落
white-haired, and willing to endure hardship. 白首甘契闊
When the coffin closes, the issue will be settled, 蓋棺事則已
8 but these aims ever look to fulfillment. 此志常覬豁
To the end of my years I worry for the common folk, 窮年憂黎元
I heave sighs, and my guts burn within.4 歎息腸內熱
I win mockery from old men, once fellow students, 取笑同學翁
12 yet I sing loudly, and with increasing fervor. 浩歌彌激烈
It’s not that I lack aims to live on the rivers and lakes, 非無江海志
to see days and months pass, aloof and serene. 蕭灑送日月
But I live in the age of a ruler like Yao and Shun, 生逢堯舜君
16 and cannot bear to just take leave forever. 不忍便永訣
Yet now the halls of State are fully complete,5 當今廊廟具
in the building’s structure, no gaps at all. 構廈豈雲缺
Like mallow and pulse, I bend to the sun—6 葵藿傾太陽
20 none can rob a think of its nature. 物性固莫奪
But I turn to consider the ant-breed, 顧惟螻蟻輩
seeing only their own little holes. 但自求其穴

1
Original note: “Composed at the beginning of the eleventh month in the fourteenth year of the Tianbao Reign” 天
寶十四載十一月初作. The eleventh month began on December 8, 755; on the 16th news arrived that An Lushan
had rebelled, though the emperor at first did not credit the report
2
Duling was a region south of the capital, and Du Fu’s family home. “Homespun clothes,” literally “plain cloth
clothes,” was the mark of a commoner; that is, someone with neither class rank nor official position.
3
Hou Ji (Lord Millet) was the creator of agriculture and Shun’s Minister of agriculture; Xie helped Yu in draining
the great flood during the reign of Shun. On the face of things Du Fu is saying that he wants to become a great
minister of state like these two ancient figures; however, Hou Ji was also the ancestor of the Zhou ruling house, and
Xie was the ancestor of the Shang. Given his grief at the death of his son and his sense of failure as a parent at the
end of the poem, the situation in which the poem was written, these associations of glorious futures hoped for and
lost cannot be entirely suppressed.
4
Neire 內熱 (“burn within”) is a medical term, but one associated with zeal in service.
5
The “halls of state,” literally “[palace] porch and ancestral temple,” was a standard figure for the structure of
government, in which particular cai, “talent”/“timber” might be used.
6
That is, he looks toward the emperor.
 15

Why should they aspire to be Great Leviathan1 胡為慕大鯨

24 ever aiming to sprawl across the dark sea? 輒擬偃溟渤
Hereby I grow aware of life’s pattern. 以茲悟生理
and I alone am ashamed to beg for favor. 獨恥事幹謁
I have gone on thus persistently until now— 兀兀遂至今
28 I could not bear just to sink into the dust. 忍為塵埃沒
In the end Chaofu and Xu You put me to shame,2 終愧巢與由
for they could not alter their firm resolve. 未能易其節
I drink deeply to banish such thoughts for the while, 沈飲聊自適
32 then burst into song, so terribly sad. 放歌頗愁絕
It was year’s end, all the plants were dying, 歲暮百草零
the high ridges, rent by the hard winds. 疾風高岡裂
The royal avenues lay sunk deep in shadow, 天衢陰崢嶸
36 as the traveler set forth at midnight. 客子中夜發
The frost harsh, my coat’s sash snapped, 霜嚴衣帶斷
my fingers were stiff, I could not tie it. 指直不得結
At daybreak I passed by Mount Li, 淩晨過驪山
40 the royal couch lay there on its towering height.3 禦榻在嵽嵲
Ill-omened auroras stuffed the cold sky, 蚩尤塞寒空
they have trampled the slippery valley slopes. 蹴蹋崖谷滑
Vapors surged swelling from Alabaster Pool,4 瑤池氣郁律
44 where the royal guardsmen rub and clack. 羽林相摩戛
There lord and courtiers linger in pleasures, 君臣留歡娛
music stirs, thundering through empty space. 樂動殷樛嶱
All granted baths there have long hat ribbons,5 賜浴皆長纓
48 no short homespun tunics join in their feasts. 與宴非短褐
Yet the silk bolts apportioned in the royal court 彤庭所分帛
came first from the homes of poor women. 本自寒女出
Whips flogged their menfolk, 鞭撻其夫家
52 gathering taxes to present to the palace. 聚斂貢城闕
His Majesty’s gracious gifts of baskets 聖人筐篚恩
are in fact to preserve the domains. 實欲邦國活
If the courtiers disregard perfect government, 臣如忽至理

1
The “Leviathan,” jing 鯨, is probably here simply a figure for greatness, but it is hard not to note that this was the
standard figure for An Lushan, more “monstrous” than great.
2
Sage King Yao wanted to give the empire to Xu You, who refused and withdrew to the foot of Mount Qi and the
north shore of the Ying River, where he plowed and fed himself. Xu You was supposed to have washed out his ears,
which were befouled by Yao’s offer of kingship.
3
Xuanzong made winter visits to Mount Li near Chang’an because of the hot springs there.
4
“Alabaster Pool” was where the Queen Mother of the West feasted King Mu of the Zhou, and it was a standard
figure for extravagant feasting and pleasures on the part of a ruler, generally to the detriment of the polity. In this
case the vapors rising are literal, since the pleasure palace on Mount Li was built around hot springs.
5
The “long hat ribbons” mark great court officers.
 16

56 it is not that our prince throws these things away. 君豈棄此物

Many officers are now filling the court, 多士盈朝廷
it is fitting that kindly men tremble. 仁者宜戰慄
What’s more, I’ve heard golden plate of the Household 況聞內金盤
60 is now all in the homes of imperial in-laws.1 盡在衛霍室
In the midst of halls goddesses dance, 中堂舞神仙
diaphanous mists disperse over marble flesh. 煙霧散玉質
Cloaks of sable warm the guests, 暖客貂鼠裘
64 moving notes of flutes follow clear zithers. 悲管逐清瑟
Guests are urged to taste camel-hoof stew, 勸客駝蹄羹
frosty oranges weigh upon sweet tangerines. 霜橙壓香橘
Crimson gates reek with meat and ale, 朱門酒肉臭
68 while on the street are bones of the frozen dead. 路有凍死骨
Splendor and privation, a mere foot apart, 榮枯咫尺異
so upsetting it is hard to recount further. 惆悵難再述
My northward cart came where the Jing meets the Wei, 北轅就涇渭
72 at the official crossing I again changed my track.2 官渡又改轍
Massed ice floes were coming down from the west, 群冰從西下
looming high as far as the eye could see. 極目高崒兀
It seemed as if the Kongtong Mountains had come,3 疑是崆峒來
76 I feared it would strike and break pillars of Heaven.4 恐觸天柱折
We were lucky the bridge had not yet collapsed, 河梁幸未坼
yet the sound of its crossbeams creaked and groaned. 枝撐聲窸窣
Travelers held hands to help each other over, 行旅相攀援
80 if the river grew broader, we could not cross. 川廣不可越
My wife was in a different county, 老妻寄異縣
ten mouths separated from me by winds and snow. 十口隔風雪
Who could go long without checking on them? 誰能久不顧
84 I hoped to go share their hunger and thirst. 庶往共饑渴
When I came in the gate, I heard crying out, 入門聞號咷
my young son had died of hunger. 幼子饑已卒
I could not suppress a wail of my own, 吾寧舍一哀
88 when even the whole lane was sobbing. 裏巷亦嗚咽
What shamed me was my role as a father, 所愧為人父

1
Literally “the homes of the Weis and the Huos,” powerful in-law families of the Western Han.
2
The situation here is far from clear. A “crossing” was a ferry point; later we see Du Fu on one of the bridges,
clearly crossing on foot. We know that some of the Wei River bridges could accommodate vehicles but this does not
seem like one of them. It is possible that he “changes his track” because no boats are crossing under flood
conditions.
3
Kongtong was a fabled mountain range in the Western Regions.
4
This alludes to the famous story of the rebel Gonggong battling with the mythic emperor Zhuanxu and breaking
one of the pillars that supported Heaven.
 17

lack of food had caused this infant’s death. 無食致夭折

I could not have known that before the harvest 豈知秋未登
92 such calamity would befall our poverty. 貧窶有倉卒
All my life I have been exempt from taxes, 生常免租稅
and my name is not registered for conscription. 名不隸征伐
Considering what biter things still happened to me, 撫跡猶酸辛
96 ordinary people must truly be desperate. 平人固騷屑
I brood silently on those who lost livelihoods, 默思失業徒
then think of our troops in far garrisons. 因念遠戍卒
Reasons for worry are as great as South Mountain, 憂端齊終南
100 a chaotic swirl that cannot be grasped. 澒洞不可掇

In the tenth lunar month of 755 Du Fu took a low appointment as an administrator in one of the
imperial guard units. In the eleventh month he went to see his family, whom he had relocated to
Fengxian County. At the time An Lushan had already risen in rebellion, but the news had not yet
reached the capital. We do not know how much of this poem came purely from its moment or was
revised in hindsight, but the sense of crisis—before the real crisis was known—is clear.
 Part 4. Trapped in the Capital, 756–758
The success of the rebellion and the flight of the royal family from Chang’an soon led to a rebel
takeover of the city. Du Fu felt he must move his family farther north, an ordeal that is recorded
in “The Pengya Road.” He then, while trying to return and perhaps join the emperor, found
himself in the hands of the rebels and forced to stay in the capital. He seems to have had freedom
of movement within the city but no means of leaving it; he could not cross the rebel lines and
rejoin his family. This situation produced some of his most moving and best-known poems.
 19

10 (4.18)
Moonlit Night
月夜

The moon tonight in Fuzhou1 今夜鄜州月

she alone watches from her chamber. 閨中只獨看
I am moved by my children far off there 遙憐小兒女
4 who don’t yet know to remember Chang’an. 未解憶長安
Fragrant fog, her coils of hair damp, 香霧雲鬟濕
clear glow, her jade-white arms are cold. 清輝玉臂寒
When will we lean at the empty window, 何時倚虛幌
8 both shone upon, the tracks of our tears dried? 雙照淚痕幹

Du Fu managed to get his family to the relative safety of Qiang Village in Fuzhou, which soon
fell to rebel forces moving on from conquered Chang’an. Suzong took the throne on August 11,
756, but was initially trying to gather support, and didn’t yet have a headquarters. We don’t
know exactly what happened except that by the time Du Fu wrote “Moonlit Night,” he was in
rebel-held Chang’an, and it was autumn. He may have been captured and sent back to Chang’an
(or Duling, just outside the city, where he would have been registered), but he was clearly not
interned and had freedom of movement in the city.

1
Du Fu’s wife and children were left in Fuzhou, while Du Fu himself returned to rebel-held Chang’an.
 20

11 (4.23)
Facing the Snow
對雪

Weeping over battle, many fresh ghosts, 戰哭多新鬼

reciting in sorrow, one old man alone. 愁吟獨老翁
Tumultuous clouds lower toward twilight, 亂雲低薄暮
4 urgent snow dances in whirling winds. 急雪舞回風
Ladle tossed aside, no green in the cup,1 瓢棄尊無綠
the brazier remains, there seems the red of fire. 爐存火似紅
News has been cut off from several prefectures, 數州消息斷
8 I sit in sorrow, just now writing words in air.2 愁坐正書空

1
The “green” is the dark color of the lees.
2
Writing in air: Yin Hao, a failed general dismissed in 353 and demoted to the rank of commoner, spent his days
writing characters in the air. People watched him to see what he was writing, and it was “duoduo guaishi” 咄咄怪
事, roughly translated “Goodness gracious, what a strange thing!”
 21

12 (4.25)
View in Spring
春望

The state broken, its mountains and rivers remain, 國破山河在

the city turns spring, deep with plants and trees. 城春草木深
Stirred by the time, flowers, sprinkling tears, 感時花濺淚
4 hating parting, birds, alarm the heart. 恨別鳥驚心
Beacon fires stretch through three months, 烽火連三月
a letter from family worth ten thousand in silver. 家書抵萬金
I’ve scratched my white hair even shorter, 白頭搔更短
8 pretty much to the point where it won’t hold a hairpin. 渾欲不勝簪
 22

13 (5.30)
Pengya: A Ballad
彭衙行

I recall back when we first fled the rebels, 憶昔避賊初

through hardship and danger we hurried north. 北走經險艱
The night was deep on Pengya road, 夜深彭衙道
4 the moon shone on Whitewater Mountain. 月照白水山
The whole household had traveled long on foot, 盡室久徒步
and most of those we met were shamelessly unfeeling. 逢人多厚顏
Valley birds droned here and there, 參差谷鳥吟
8 we saw no travelers going back the way we came. 不見遊子還
My baby daughter bit me in her hunger, 癡女饑咬我
I feared tigers and wolves would hear her cries. 啼畏虎狼聞
I held her to my chest and covered her mouth, 懷中掩其口
12 she twisted and turned, her voice even more upset. 反側聲愈嗔
My little son pretended he knew what to do, 小兒強解事
he kept seeking bitter plums to eat. 故索苦李餐
Half the past ten days it had thundered and rained, 一旬半雷雨
16 we pulled each other along through the mud and mire. 泥濘相牽攀
Having made no provision against the rain, 既無禦雨備
the path was slippery and our clothes were cold. 徑滑衣又寒
At times we went through particular hardship, 有時經契闊
20 a whole day spent covering just a few leagues. 竟日數里間
Wild fruits served as our provisions, 野果充餱糧
low branches became the beams of our roof. 卑枝成屋椽
Early we walked through water on rocks, 早行石上水
24 at dusk we would stay at hearth-smoke seen on the horizon. 暮宿天邊煙
We remained for a while on Tongjia Swamp, 少留周家窪
about to go through Luzi Barrier. 欲出蘆子關
Among my old friends there was one Steward Sun, 故人有孫宰
28 whose high sense of right touched tiered clouds. 高義薄曾雲
He welcomed us as night’s blackness fell, 延客已曛黑
lit lanterns and opened his gates. 張燈啟重門
He warmed waters to bathe our feet, 暖湯濯我足
32 and cut paper streamers to call back our souls. 翦紙招我魂
After this he brought in his wife and children, 從此出妻孥
whose tears streamed down on seeing us. 相視涕闌幹
All my brood was sleeping soundly, 眾雛爛熳睡
36 he woke them and graced them with a meal. 喚起沾盤餐
I vow that together with you, sir, 誓將與夫子
 23

we shall form the bond of brothers forever. 永結為弟昆

Then he emptied the hall where we sat, 遂空所坐堂
40 offering me the joy of secure lodging. 安居奉我歡
Who else would be willing in such troubled times 誰肯艱難際
to show his good heart so openly? 豁達露心肝
Since we parted a full year has run its course, 別來歲月周
44 and the Hu still work our ruin. 胡羯仍構患
When shall I ever have the wings 何當有翅翎
to fly off and land before you? 飛去墮爾前

In the ninth month the Crown Prince, later Daizong, led an imperial army, along with his Uighur
contingent, to the west of Chang’an, ready to give battle. A rebel counterattack was foiled by the
Uighurs, and the victorious imperial army recovered Chang’an.
 Part 5. Reunion and Recovery, 758–759
The trip to be reunited with his family was successful. He wrote about it in the long poem “The
Journey North,” and in “Qiang Village Poems.” Meanwhile, the rebels were driven out of the
capital, and the new emperor, formerly the crown prince, returned in triumph. Du Fu also
returned to Chang’an to resume his new post as Reminder or “Omissioner,” someone whose
duties were to remind the emperor of important precedents and traditions—a post for which the
poet, not always a tactful man, was not ideally suited. Moreover, the new government did not
have the means to pay official salaries, so times were still hard for Du Fu, who had moved his
family to the capital to be with him. There was still much to feel melancholy about.
 25

14–16 (5.24–26)
Qiang Village
羌村

I 一
West of red clouds looming 崢嶸赤雲西
sunbeams descend on level land. 日腳下平地
At the ramshackle gate sparrows raise a din— 柴門鳥雀噪
4 the traveler has come back across a thousand leagues. 歸客千里至
My wife and children are amazed I survived, 妻孥怪我在
when surprise settles, they wipe away tears. 驚定還拭淚
I was tossed about in the world’s troubles, 世亂遭飄蕩
8 now by luck I have managed to come back alive. 生還偶然遂
Neighbors fill the tops of the walls, 鄰人滿牆頭
stirred to sighs, and even sobbing. 感歎亦歔欷
At night’s end I again take candle 夜闌更秉燭
12 and face you as if in a dream. 相對如夢寐

II 二
My late years press hard on a stolen life, 晚歲迫偷生
coming home, the pleasures are few. 還家少歡趣
My dear son will not let go of my knees, 嬌兒不離膝
4 dreading I’ll go away again. 畏我複卻去
I recall how I used to love finding cool spots, 憶昔好追涼
on purpose I circle the trees by the pool. 故繞池邊樹
Whistling, the north wind blows strong, 蕭蕭北風勁
8 considering matters, a hundred cares simmer. 撫事煎百慮
Fortunately I know that the grain has been harvested, 賴知禾黍收
and I already see pouring water into my mash-press.1 已覺糟床注
If now there is enough to pour a drink, 如今足斟酌
12 for a while it will comfort my twilight years. 且用慰遲暮

1
To make ale.
 26

III 三
Now the flock of chickens squawks in confusion, 群雞正亂叫
when visitors come, the chickens raise a ruckus. 客至雞鬥爭
I drive the chickens up into the trees, 驅雞上樹木
4 and then hear a knock at my ramshackle gate. 始聞叩柴荊
Four or five old men 父老四五人
ask me about my long travels afar. 問我久遠行
Each has brought something in hand, 手中各有攜
8 and we tip the jars, both the thick and the clear. 傾榼濁複清
“Don’t refuse our ale for being too thin— 苦辭酒味薄
there is no one to plow the millet lands. 黍地無人耕
And since the warfare has not yet ceased, 兵革既未息
12 all our lads are on campaign in the east.” 兒童盡東征
Old men, let me make a song for you, 請為父老歌
I am put to shame by your deep feelings in hardship. 艱難愧深情
When the song is done, I look up to heaven and sigh, 歌罷仰天歎
16 and tears stream freely from all around. 四座淚縱橫
 27

17 (5.27)
Journey North1
北征

Our Imperial Majesty’s second year, autumn, 皇帝二載秋

first day of the month, an adjusted eighth,2 閏八月初吉
I, Master Du, was to set off on a journey north, 杜子將北征
4 over vast uncertain space to see my family. 蒼茫問家室
In these times we have met with great affliction, 維時遭艱虞
free days are few in court or countryside. 朝野少暇日
I consider the undue grant of special grace, 顧慚恩私被
8 how an edict permitted return to my humble home. 詔許歸蓬蓽
I went to the palace gates to take my leave, 拜辭詣闕下
shaken with awe, it was long ere I could go. 怵惕久未出
Though I lack the qualities for offering criticism, 雖乏諫諍姿
12 I feared lest my ruler overlook some matter. 恐君有遺失
My ruler is true lord of the Restoration, 君誠中興主
sedulously striving indeed to manage affairs. 經緯固密勿
The revolt of the eastern Hu is not over,3 東胡反未已
16 and your subject Du Fu is stung with fury. 臣甫憤所切
I wiped away tears, yearning for the court-in-exile, 揮涕戀行在
and my course was still an uncertain blur. 道途猶恍惚
Heaven and Earth bear wounds and scars, 乾坤含瘡痍
20 when will our misery ever cease? 憂虞何時畢
With slow steps I traversed the field paths, 靡靡逾阡陌
the smoke of hearths, far and faint in the gloom. 人煙眇蕭瑟
Those I met had mostly suffered wounds, 所遇多被傷
24 they groaned and kept on streaming with blood. 呻吟更流血
I turned my head back to Fengxiang County,4 回首鳳翔縣
late in the day its banners appeared and faded from view. 旌旗晚明滅
I climbed the folds of cold mountains ahead, 前登寒山重
28 often finding watering holes for my horse. 屢得飲馬窟
I entered Bin’s moor down at the base of the ground, 邠郊入地底
the Jing’s waters churned through its midst. 涇水中蕩潏
Fierce tigers stood before me, 猛虎立我前

1
Original note: “Composed when I had reached Fengxiang, and a personal edict from the emperor released me to go
to Fuzhou” 歸至鳳翔墨制放往鄜州作.
2
This is August 20, 757. The calendar required the adjustment of an additional eighth month (a “lesser” eighth
month) added before the eighth month proper.
3
That is, of An Lushan and Shi Siming.
4
Fengxiang was the seat of the restoration government where Suzong held court.
 28

32 the gray slopes split when they roared. 蒼崖吼時裂

From chrysanthemums hung this autumn’s blooms, 菊垂今秋花
the rock bore the ruts of ancient carts. 石戴古車轍
The blue clouds stirred high spirits, 青雲動高興
36 experiences in seclusion may still be enjoyed. 幽事亦可悅
Mountain berries in many tiny bits 山果多瑣細
grew in stretches mixed with chestnut oaks. 羅生雜橡栗
Some were read like cinnabar pebbles, 或紅如丹砂
40 others, black like spots of lacquer. 或黑如點漆
Wherever the rain and dew brings moisture 雨露之所濡
fruits form, the sweet and the bitter alike. 甘苦齊結實
I thought of Peach Blossom Spring, so remote,1 緬思桃源內
44 increasing sighs over the blunders of my life. 益歎身世拙
From the rises I gazed to Fu’s Altar,2 坡陀望鄜畤
which emerged and sank away as I crossed valley and cliff. 岩穀互出沒
I had already gone on to the shores of a stream, 我行已水濱
48 and my servant was still in the tips of the trees.3 我僕猶木末
Owls screeched in the brown mulberry trees, 鴟鳥鳴黃桑
grounds squirrels folded hands by their scattered dens. 野鼠拱亂穴
In the depths of night I passed through a battlefield, 夜深經戰場
52 where the cold moon shone on white bones. 寒月照白骨
An army of a million at Tong Pass— 潼關百萬師
back then they scattered so swiftly!4 往者散何卒
In consequence half the folk of Qin 遂令半秦民
56 were destroyed and made into non-human things.5 殘害為異物
What’s more I fell in to the dust of the Hu, 況我墮胡塵
coming home, my hair is all streaked with gray. 及歸盡華髮
A year has passed, and I reach my thatched cottage,6 經年至茅屋
60 wife and children’s clothes patched in a hundred places. 妻子衣百結
Stirred to weeping, the sound of pines replies, 慟哭松聲回
and mournful streams join our secret sobs. 悲泉共幽咽

1
Tao Yuanming, “A Peach Blossom Spring”: A man of Wuling was fishing in a creek, saw a trail of peach blossoms
in the current and followed it. He came to an opening in the mountain, went through it, and discovered a village
inhabited by descendants of people who had fled the wars during the collapse of the Qin empire five centuries
earlier. They had no contact with the outside world. Eventually the fisherman wanted to return home, and after he
left he was never able to find his way back.
2
Fu’s Altar, by legend constructed by Duke Wen of Qin, was a mound that marked Fuzhou, where Du Fu’s family
was located.
3
That is, the servant is behind him, higher up the slope.
4
This refers to the disastrous defeat of the hastily assembled imperial army outside of Tong Pass.
5
That is, ghosts, not having been buried with the proper ceremonies.
6
That is, a year since he left his family in Fuzhou and went back to Chang’an, at the point when it fell to An
Lushan’s forces.
 29

The son whom I always have doted on, 平生所嬌兒

64 his complexion is whiter than snow. 顏色白勝雪
Seeing his dad, he turns his face away weeping, 見耶背面啼
filthy and greasy, no socks on his feet. 垢膩腳不襪
By the bed my two young daughters 床前兩小女
68 have a patchwork that goes just below their knees. 補綻才過膝
An ocean scene with its waves torn, 海圖坼波濤
a former embroidery, its sequence of panels shifted.1 舊繡移曲折
Tianwu and the Purple Phoenix2 天吳及紫鳳
72 were upside down on their short tunics. 顛倒在裋褐
I, the old man, was feeling bad 老夫情懷惡
and lay several days with vomiting and diarrhea. 嘔泄臥數日
Of course I had money in my purse 那無囊中帛
76 to save you from shivering in the cold. 救汝寒凜栗
I also undid packets of powder and mascara, 粉黛亦解苞
sheets and blankets were amply arrayed. 衾裯稍羅列
A light returned to my gaunt wife’s face, 瘦妻面複光
80 and the innocent girls combed their own hair. 癡女頭自櫛
They imitated their mother in everything, 學母無不為
with morning make-up smeared on liberally. 曉妝隨手抹
After some time they put on rouge 移時施朱鉛
84 and painted wide brows helter-skelter. 狼藉畫眉闊
Back alive, I face these children 生還對童稚
and almost forget my hunger and thirst. 似欲忘饑渴
Asking what happened, scrambling to pull my whiskers 問事競挽須
88 who could glare or scold them just then? 誰能即嗔喝
I think back when I was among the rebels 翻思在賊愁
and now gladly accept all this chaos and noise. 甘受雜亂聒
Being newly returned comforts me for a while— 新歸且慰意
92 how could I bring myself to discuss our livelihood? 生理焉能說
His Majesty still is coated with exile’s dust, 至尊尚蒙塵
how soon will we stop the training of troops? 幾日休練卒
I look up and observe Heaven’s aspect changing, 仰觀天色改
96 sensing how baleful vapors clear all around. 坐覺祆氣豁
From the Northwest comes a shadowy wind,3 陰風西北來
somberly following the Uighurs. 慘澹隨回鶻
Their king wants them to serve and aid, 其王願助順
100 by custom they excel in the cavalry charge. 其俗善馳突

1
That is, an old embroidery with a coherent sequence of scenes has been cut up into pieces for the girls’ clothes.
2
Tianwu was an ocean god.
3
This is the emanation of Suzong’s Uighur allies.
 30

They have sent us five thousand troops, 送兵五千人

and driven along ten thousand horses. 驅馬一萬匹
Of this sort a few are valuable,1 此輩少為貴
104 all the world admires their resolute bravery. 四方服勇決
They always use “hawk-bounders,”2 所用皆鷹騰
that smash the enemy swifter than an arrow. 破敵過箭疾
His Highness’s heart prefers to wait, doing nothing, 聖心頗虛佇
108 all spirit is virtually lost in current policy debates. 時議氣欲奪
Luoyang can be taken as easily as pointing to the palm,3 伊洛指掌收
the Western Capital is not even worth seizing. 西京不足拔
The Imperial Army begs to strike deeply, 官軍請深入
112 their stored up sharpness should be unleashed en masse. 蓄銳何俱發
With this move we can clear Qingzhou and Xuzhou,4 此舉開青徐
then we can immediately swallow Heng and Jie.5 旋瞻略恒碣
Frost and dew gather in the vast heavens, 昊天積霜露
116 there is stern deadliness in the atmosphere of justice.6 正氣有肅殺
Disaster turns to the Year for Destroying the Hu; 禍轉亡胡歲
the situation produces the Month for Seizing he Hu. 勢成擒胡月
How can the Hu’s fated span last long?— 胡命其能久
120 it is not fitting that Imperial Rule be cut off. 皇綱未宜絕
I think back to when the panic first began, 憶昨狼狽初
what happened was different from all precedent. 事與古先別
The corrupt minister at last was chopped to mince,7 奸臣竟菹醢
124 and his evil partners were then swept away. 同惡隨蕩析
We would never have heard of Xia or Yin’s decline 不聞夏殷衰
had they executed Bao and Da midway.8 中自誅褒妲
Zhou and Han achieved a second rising— 周漢獲再興
128 Xuan and Guang were truly discerning and wise.9 宣光果明哲
Undaunted was General Chen Xuanli,10 桓桓陳將軍

1
This can be read politely (“even a few are valuable”) or less politely (“the fewer the better”).
2
Xiao Difei suggests that this refers to the cavalry.
3
“Pointing to the palm” is a set phrase for obviousness or ease.
4
Qingzhou and Xuzhou were two prefectures in the east, deep in An Lushan’s territory.
5
Heng and Jie are mountains in the northeast.
6
“Stern deadliness,” susha. 肅殺, is an attribute of autumn, the season of war and punishment. The qi
(“atmosphere”) is both the weather and the spiritual force of the season.
7
The reference is to Yang Guozhong.
8
Daji 妲己 was the consort of Zhou, the last Shang king. To Da and Bao were attributed the fall of the Shang (Yin)
and Western Zhou respectively. The analogy here is clearly to Lady Yang the Noble Consort, who, in contrast, was
ordered to commit suicide, by which, to Du Fu’s mind, the dynasty was saved.
9
The references are to King Xuan, who restored the Western Zhou’s power, and to Guangwudi, the founder of the
Eastern Han. The comparison is to Suzong.
10
Chen Xuanli, the general of the guard who compelled the execution of Yang Guozhong and Lady Yang the Noble
Consort.
 31

with spear and axe, he exercised loyal ardor. 仗鉞奮忠烈

Were it not for you, the people would all be gone, 微爾人盡非
132 yet the dynasty still lives to this day. 於今國猶活
Cold and dreary is Datong Palace, 淒涼大同殿
desolate is the White Beast Gate.1 寂寞白獸闥
The people in the capital gaze for the Kingfisher Glory,2 都人望翠華
136 Auspicious vapors head toward the gilded palace turrets. 佳氣向金闕
Truly divinity hangs about the imperial tombs, 園陵固有神
rites of sweeping and sprinkling will not be omitted. 掃灑數不缺
Glorious is the legacy of Taizong— 煌煌太宗業
140 what he established is exceedingly vast and enduring. 樹立甚宏達

1
Datong Palace was a hall in the Tang palace compound of Chang’an. White Beast Hall is properly White Tiger
Hall, renamed because of the taboo on Tang Taizu’s name. This was a hall (and gate) in the Han palace; Han palace
names were liberally transferred to places in the Tang palace.
2
The kingfisher feathers mark the imperial standards and would be a sign of the emperor’s return to Chang’an.
 Part 6. On the Move, 759
In the autumn of 759 Du Fu left his official post at Huazhou and moved his family west and then
south, first to Qinzhou, more than three hundred miles to the west. After two months they moved
on, south this time to Tonggu, another forty-five mills. By the end of the year they were headed to
Chengdu, another five hundred miles south. Just why the official post was abandoned seems
clear: the poet was sick of his bureaucratic duties, and the political situation, with rebel troops
in the area, was very uncertain. Why he chose the western and southern places of sojourn, and
why he moved on after a short time in the first two, is a matter of conjecture. Perhaps he hoped
for support from friends and relatives in these areas. In any case, all the traveling did not put a
constraint on his writing; if anything, it made him more productive.
 33

18 (7.51)
Recalling My Brothers on a Moonlit Night
月夜憶舍弟

The garrison drums stop people traveling, 戍鼓斷人行

fall on the frontier, the sound of one wild goose. 秋邊一雁聲
The dew will be white from this night on, 露從今夜白
4 the moon is as bright as at home. 月是故鄉明
I have brothers, but all are scattered, 有弟皆分散
I have no family to ask if they still live. 無家問死生
I send letters but they never arrive, 寄書長不避
8 even more as warfare has not ceased. 況乃未休兵
 34

19 (7.66)
New Moon
初月

Its light so thin, how could it be half-full?— 光細弦豈上

rays oblique, the orb not yet steady. 影斜輪未安
Faintly ascending beyond ancient passes, 微升古塞外
4 already hidden by twilight clouds’ edge. 已隱暮雲端
The Star River does not change its color, 河漢不改色
the barrier mountains are cold on their own. 關山空自寒
There is white dew in the front yard, 庭前有白露
8 in darkness filling the chrysanthemums. 暗滿菊花團
 35

20 (8.6)
View of the Wilds
野望

I cannot gaze to clear autumn’s full extent, 清秋望不極

far in the distance layered shadows rise. 迢遞起曾陰
Distant waters, clear and level with sky, 遠水兼天淨
4 lone city walls are deep, shrouded in fog. 孤城隱霧深
The leaves few, the wind brings more down, 葉稀風更落
The mountains remote, where the sun just now sinks. 山迥日初沈
How late the solitary crane returns!— 獨鶴歸何晚
8 crows of dusk have already filled the woods. 昏鴉已滿林
 36

21 (8.18)
On an Autumn Day the Recluse Ruan Brings Thirty Bunches of Chives
秋日阮隱居致薤三十束

Inside the recluse’s ramshackle gate 隱者柴門內

garden vegetables turn autumn around the house. 畦蔬繞舍秋
A basket full of chives soaked with dew, 盈筐承露薤
4 didn’t wait for me to send a letter asking. 不待致書求
Tied in bunches they compare to green hay’s color, 束比青芻色
rounded, even with the tips of jade chopsticks. 圓齊玉箸頭
In my waning years, my viscera are cold, 衰年關鬲冷
8 they taste warm, and I have no more worries.1 味暖並無憂

1
In Chinese materia medica Chinese chives are a “warm” food.
 Part 7. Thatched Cottage, 759–762

The next move was farther south, to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, known as “the Brocade City”
and designated as the southern capital. Leaving in late December 759, Du Fu and his family
managed the journey of some five hundred miles in about a week. Here the poet would settle and
build a house, the famous “Thatched Cottage,” not far from the city and near a monastery where
he and his family stayed while the house was being built. A. R. Davis comments: “Though he had
now reached almost the furthest point of his travels and his homesickness was extreme, he was
about to enjoy two or three years of almost happiness.” He was also embarking on the last
decade of his life.
 38

22 (9.14)
Siting a Dwelling
卜居

Flowing waters of Flower-washing Creek, by the waters’ western edge, 浣花流水水西頭

the householder chose this spot for a dwelling in the seclusion of 主人為卜林塘幽
wooded pools.
I knew already mundane matters are few outside outer walls, 已知出郭少塵事
4 the clear River is here as well to melt a soujourner’s woes. 更有澄江銷客愁
Dragonflies beyond counting go up and down in unison, 無數蜻蜓齊上下
a single pair of mandarin ducks face each other bobbing. 一雙鸂鶒對沉浮
One might follow a whim, going east thousands of leagues, 東行萬里堪乘興
8 then you must head toward Shanyin and get in a tiny boat.1 須向山陰上小舟

1
Refers to the story of Wang Huizhi, from Shishuo xinyu: “Wang Ziyou [Huizhi] was lodging at Shanyin. One night
there was a great snow. He woke from sleep and opened he rooms, ordering that ale be poured as he gazed on the
gleaming white all around. Then he got up and paced about, reciting Zuo Si’s “Summoning the Recluse.” All of a
sudden he thought of Dai Kui (Dai Andao). At the time Dai was in Shan. Immediately that night he got in a little
boat and went off to see him, only reaching Shan after two nights. He came to the gate, did not go in, but went back.
When someone asked him why, Wang said, “I originally went following my whim; my whim is gone, so I go back.
Why should I have to see Dai?”
 39

23 (9.28)
A Crazy Man
狂夫

West of Ten Thousand League Bridge, a single thatched cottage, 萬里橋西一草堂

the waters of Hundred Flowers Pool are my Canglang.1 百花潭水即滄浪
Wind in the azure dwarf bamboo, winsomely pure, 風含翠筱娟娟靜
4 rain soaks the river lotus, more fragrant with passing time. 雨裛紅蕖冉冉香
From old friends with fat salaries letters have ceased coming, 厚祿故人書斷絕
my children, constantly hungry, have forlorn complexions. 恒饑稚子色淒涼
Knowing I’ll be tossed in some ditch when I die, I grow only more 欲填溝壑唯疏放
careless and free,
8 and laugh at myself as a crazy man who gets crazier in old age. 自笑狂夫老更狂

1
Canglang is the proverbial place of reclusion, where one could either emerge to serve or stay withdrawn, according
to the situation of the times.
 40

24–32 (9.63–71)
Haphazard Inspirations: Quatrains
絕句漫興九首

I 一
With my own eyes I’ve seen a soujourner’s sorrow, and from sorrow I 眼見客愁愁不醒
do not recover,
the rascally look of spring reaches this riverside pavilion. 無賴春色到江亭
At once it makes the flowers bloom, in such a wild hurry, 即遣花開深造次
then I feel the orioles’ chatter is far too heartfelt and earnest 便覺鶯語太丁寧

II 二
With my own hands I planted peach and plum, they don’t lack an 手種桃李非無主
owner,
this old rustic’s wall may be low, but it still is home. 野老牆低還似家
It seems just as if the spring breeze were bullying me: 恰似春風相欺得
last night it blew and snapped off several branches of flowers. 夜來吹折數枝花

III 三
Knowing well that my thatch studio is extremely low and small, 熟知茅齋絕低小
swallows on the river still come on purpose all the time. 江上燕子故來頻
Mud in beaks, they drop spots of filth among my books and zither, 銜泥點汙琴書內
then catching flying insects, they bump up against me. 更接飛蟲打著人
 41

IV 四
The second month is already through, the third month comes along, 二月已破三月來
gradually aging, I’ll meet the spring how often after this? 漸老逢春能幾回
Don’t brood on the endless troubles beyond the immediate, 莫思身外無窮事
and finish the limited number of cups in the time while you’re alive. 且盡生前有限杯

V 五
Heartbreaking, springtime by the river, almost over now, 腸斷春江欲盡頭
I lean on my cane and walk slowly, standing on fragrant isles. 杖藜徐步立芳洲
Gone totally made, willow catkins depart with the wind, 顛狂柳絮隨風去
careless loves, peach blossoms follow the water’s current. 輕薄桃花逐水流

VI 六
Lazy, scattered, and of no account, I don’t leave the village, 懶慢無堪不出村
I call to my boy to keep the ramshackle gate shut all day. 呼兒日在掩柴門
Gray-green moss and thick ale, calm within my grove, 蒼苔濁酒林中靜
emerald water, spring breeze, it turns twilight in the wilds. 碧水春風野外昏
 42

VII 七
Willow catkins scattered on the path spread a white rug out, 糝徑楊花鋪白氈
lotus leaves dotting the creek layer green cash. 點溪荷葉疊青錢
No one sees the pheasant chick at the base of the bamboo shoots, 筍根稚子無人見
on the sands the ducklings sleep beside their mother. 沙上鳧雛傍母眠

VIII 八
West of my cottage tender mulberry can be pinched with my fingers, 舍西柔桑葉可拈
by the river the slender wheat is also so thin. 江畔細麥複纖纖
How long does human life last?—spring has changed to summer, 人生幾何春已夏
I won’t set down the fragrant brew, sweet as honey. 不放香醪如蜜甜

IX 九
Outside my door a willow, pliant and bending, 隔戶楊柳弱嫋嫋
exactly like a fifteen-year-old girl’s waist. 恰似十五女兒腰
Who would have thought that at dawn, without paying attention, 誰謂朝來不作意
the wild wind would pull and break the longest branch. 狂風挽斷最長條
 43

33 (10.42)
A Song on How My Thatched Roof Was Ruined by the Autumn Wind
茅屋為秋風所破歌

The eighth month, high autumn, the wind howled in rage 八月秋高風怒號
it rolled up from my roof three layers of thatch. 卷我屋上三重茅
The thatch flew crossing the river, and was strewn over the 茅飛度江灑江郊
floodplain,
4 the high ones caught tangled in the treetops of tall woods, 高者掛罥長林梢
the low ones whirled around and sank in ponds and puddles. 下者飄轉沉塘坳
The gangs of boys of south village took advantage of my age and 南村群童欺我老無力
lack of strength,
how could they act as thieves before my very face? 忍能對面為盜賊
8 Right in public they took armfuls of thatch and went off into the 公然抱茅入竹去
bamboo,
my lips were parched, my mouth was dry, but my shouts didn’t 唇焦口燥呼不得
stop them.
I went back leaning on my cane, sighing to myself. 歸來倚杖自歎息
In a moment the wind died down and the clouds were the color of 俄頃風定雲墨色
ink.
12 they billowed over the autumn sky growing blacker toward dusk. 秋天漠漠向昏黑
The cloth covers were years old and as cold as iron, 布衾多年冷似鐵
my darling son slept badly and kicked rips in the lining. 驕兒惡臥踏裏裂
The roof leaked above the bed, there was no place dry, 床床屋漏無干處
16 the raindrops came like threads of hemp, never breaking. 雨腳如麻未斷絕
I have been through death and destruction and had but little 自經喪亂少睡眠
sleep,
but how can I last through the soaking of this long night? 長夜沾濕何由徹
If only I could get a great mansion of a million rooms, 安得廣廈千萬間
20 broadly covering the poor scholars of all the world, all with 大庇天下寒士俱歡顏
joyous expressions,
unshaken by storms, as stable as a mountain. 風雨不動安如山
Alas, 嗚呼
when will I see such a roof looming before my eyes?— 何時眼前突兀見此屋
24 then I would think it all right if my cottage alone were ruined and 吾廬獨破受凍死亦足
I suffered death by freezing.
 44

Part 8. More Disruptions, 762–765

The two peaceful years in the thatched cottage were idyllic, though we can easily imagine the
poet growing a little restive. In any case, more rebellions were in process, some of them in the
very area where he had settled. In 761 his friend Yan Wu had become governor general of the
area, but by May 762, when there was a struggle for power in the capital, Yan Wu was called
back. Du Fu decided to travel partway with him, and the second of his farewell poems was
composed along the way. He speaks of returning, but a revolt had broken out in Chengdu and he
ended up in Zizhou, where his family joined him. He was apparently anxious to avoid association
with any faction and had to be circumspect about where he went and with whom he associated.
 45

34 (12.9)
A Pair of Swallows
雙燕

Lodging on my journey I was startled by a pair of swallows, 旅食驚雙燕

mud in beaks, entering this hall. 銜泥入此堂
They must be fleeing the world’s vicissitudes like me,1 應同避燥濕
4 and also passing through situations too hot and too cold. 且複過炎涼
They raise their young in the windblown dust, 養子風塵際
the road was long to come here. 來時道路長
This autumn heaven and earth will remain, 今秋天地在
8 and I too will leave this strange land. 吾亦離殊方

1
“Vicissitudes” is literally “dryness and damp.” The swallows’ movements in relation to literal weather are parallel
to Du Fu’s travels due to the figurative “weather” in the human realm.
 46

35 (12.40)
1
Sent to Be Written on My Thatched Cottage beyond the River
寄題江外草堂

All my life I’ve been unrestrained, 我生性放誕

I’ve always wanted to flee into the natural way. 雅欲逃自然
I crave ale, love windblown bamboo, 嗜酒愛風竹
4 I always site my dwelling with woods and streams. 卜居必林泉
Meeting war, I came to the rivers of Shu, 遭亂到蜀江
bedridden, I found release by what suited me. 臥屙遣所便
I began with one acre to build my cottage, 誅茅初一畝
8 then extended it to a broader plot. 廣地方連延
I set to work at the start of the Shangyuan Reign,2 經營上元始
I finished in the Baoying Reign.3 斷手寶應年
Dared I plan for beauty of earth and wood?— 敢謀土木麗
12 yet I feel that it looks quite sturdy. 自覺面勢堅
Terrace and pavilion follow the high and low places, 台亭隨高下
wide open, it faces the clear river. 敞豁當清川
Although there are companions who know my heart, 雖有會心侶
16 can they often share my fishing boat? 數能同釣船
The clash of arms has not been put to rest, 干戈未偃息
how can one get to sing tipsily and sleep? 安得酣歌眠
Dragons have no fixed lair, 蛟龍無定窟
20 the yellow swan rubs the gray heavens. 黃鵠摩蒼天
Have the aims of perfected men since ancient times 古來達士志
ever accepted the pull of outer things? 寧受外物牽
I think on my blunt and clumsy manner, 顧惟魯鈍姿
24 did I ever recognize the harbingers of my ruin? 豈識悔吝先
Just then I took my wife in hand and left, 偶攜老妻去
crossing through the gloom of windblown smoke. 慘澹淩風煙
In what I did here was nothing absolutely necessary, 事蹟無固必
28 in purity and keeping secluded, I’m ashamed at failing in both. 幽貞愧雙全
I still think on my four little pines, 尚念四小松
wild vines will easily strangle them. 蔓草易拘纏
Their frost bones won’t grow very tall, 霜骨不甚長
32 they will always be pitied by my neighbors. 永為鄰里憐

1
Original note: “Composed in Zizhou and sent to my dwelling in Chengdu” 梓州作，寄成都故居.
2
760.
3
762.
 47

36 (14.9)
Weary at Night
倦夜

The bamboo’s cool intrudes into my bedroom, 竹涼侵臥內

a wilderness moon fills the corner of the yard. 野月滿庭隅
The heavy dews begin to drip and trickle, 重露成涓滴
4 sparse stars, suddenly there, then not. 稀星乍有無
Flying in darkness, fireflies cast their own light, 暗飛螢自照
staying the night on the water, birds call to each other. 水宿鳥相呼
All that happens amid the clash of arms— 萬事干戈裏
8 I grieve in vain that clear night forges on. 空悲清夜徂
 48

37–38 (14.36–37)
River Village on a Spring Day: Five Poems (#2–3)
春日江村五首

II 二
From far, far away I came to Shu, 迢遞來三蜀
and now six years have slipped away. 蹉跎有六年
As a sojourner I meet old friends, 客身逢故舊
4 my elation, brought out by woods and streams. 發興自林泉
Excessively lazy, I let my clothes go patched, 過懶從衣結
often roaming, I don’t care if my shoes are worn through. 頻游任履穿
My hedge is especially unbounded, 藩籬無限景
8 letting my thoughts run free, I face the river skies. 恣意買江天

III 三
I planted bamboo, crisscrossing instead their azure, 種竹交加翠
I set out peach trees, a dazzle of pink. 栽桃爛熳紅
Lingering in mind, the moon in Stone Mirror,1 經心石鏡月
4 reaching my face, wind from the Mountains of Snow. 到面雪山風
The crimson brushes follow from royal command,2 赤管隨王命
the silver seal is entrusted to an aging man. 銀章付老翁
How could they know that my teeth have fallen, 豈知牙齒落
8 that my name would be a flaw among the presented worthies? 名玷薦賢中

1
The Stone Mirror was one of the sites of Chengdu.
2
A pair of crimson brushes marks his position in the Secretariat.
 49

Part 9. East to Kuizhou, 765–766

Sometime in the spring or summer of 765 Du Fu and his family began a journey east by river
that took them to Kuizhou, on the Yangzi, where they would spend three years and he would
produce a number of especially fine poems. The journey took some time, as it was interrupted by
bouts of illness during which the poet was too sick to travel. They spent the winter of 765 in
Yunan, where several poems were written.
 50

39 (15.70)
The Old Cypress: A Ballad 古柏行

In front of Kongming Temple there is an aged cypress,1 孔明廟前有老柏

its trunk is like green bronze, its roots are like stone. 柯如青銅根如石
Its frosty bark has been drenched by rains, a forty arm-span girth, 霜皮溜雨四十圍
4 eyebrow-black touching Heaven, two thousand feet up. 黛色參天二千尺
The prince and his officer have already met their moment in history, 君臣已與時際會
but still this tree is cherished by people. 樹木猶為人愛惜
When clouds come, its atmosphere touches the Wu Gorges’ far 雲來氣接巫峽長
reaches;
8 when the moon comes out, the cold reaches the white of the 月出寒通雪山白
Mountains of Snow.

I recall recently where the road wound around east of Brocade 憶昨路繞錦亭東
Pavilion,
there the First Ruler and Warrior Count shared the same shrine.2 先主武侯同閟宮
Branches and trunk towered over the ancient plain, 崔嵬枝幹郊原古
12 hidden away paintings red and green within the empty windows. 窈窕丹青戶牖空
Spreading wide and with coiling crouch, though it has a secure place, 落落盤踞雖得地
tall and alone in the dark, dark skies often bring fierce winds. 冥冥孤高多烈風
Of course, there is, to hold them up, the power of the god, 扶持自是神明力
16 their upright straightness is basically due to the work of Creation. 正直原因造化功

Were a great hall to collapse and they needed beams, 大廈如傾要梁棟

ten thousand oxen would turn their head at such mountainous 萬牛回首丘山重
weight.
Not even showing its patterning, it would make the world amazed,3 不露文章世已驚
20 nor would it refuse to be cut down, but who could transport it? 未辭翦伐誰能送
How could its bitter trunk avoid letting in the termites,4 苦心豈免容螻蟻
but its fragrant needles have ever given lodging to the phoenix. 香葉終經宿鸞鳳
Ambitious gentlemen and recluse—do not sigh in resentment!— 志士幽人莫怨嗟
24 from ancient days when timber is great it is hard to put to use. 古來材大難為用

1
Kongming is Zhuge Liang, one of Du Fu’s favorite historical figures. He lived as a recluse farmer (the “sleeping
dragon”) until Liu Bei persuaded him to become the minister of his Shu-Han kingdom in Sichuan. This was
considered the perfect match between ruler and minister, the “conjunction of wind and clouds.” Zhuge Liang
survived Liu Bei and supported his heir, trying in vain to defeat Wu and Wei.
2
The Warrior Count is Zhuge Liang.
3
“Patterning” is the fineness of its grain, but also “literary works.”
4
“Trunk” is also “heart.”
 51

40–47 (17.26–33)
Stirred by Autumn: Eight Poems
秋興八首

I 一
Jade-white dew withers and harms forests of maple trees, 玉露凋傷楓樹林
on Wu Mountain and in Wu Gorges, the atmosphere, bleak and dreary. 巫山巫峽氣蕭森
Between river’s margins the waves churn level with sky, 江間波浪兼天湧
4 wind-driven clouds over passes touching earth in shadow. 塞上風雲接地陰
Chrysanthemum clumps twice have bloomed forth tears of another day, 叢菊兩開他日淚
a lonely boat tied up once and for all a heart set on its homeland. 孤舟一系故園心
Everywhere clothes for cold weather hasten ruler and blade, 寒衣處處催刀尺
8 walls of White Emperor Castle high, pounding blocks urgent in dusk. 白帝城高急暮砧

II 二
On Kuizhou’s lonely walls setting sunlight slants, 夔府孤城落日斜
then always I trust the North Dipper to lead my gaze to the capital. 每依北斗望京華
Listening to gibbons I really shed tears at their third cry,1 聽猿實下三聲淚
4 accepting my mission I pointlessly follow the eight-month raft.2 奉使虛隨八月查
The censer in the muralled ministry eludes the pillow where I lie,3 畫省香爐違伏枕
hill towers’ white-plastered battlements hide the sad reed pipes. 山樓粉堞隱悲笳
Just look there at the moon, in wisteria on the rock, 請看石上藤蘿月
8 it has already cast its light by sandbars on flowers of the reeds. 已映洲前蘆荻花

1
There was an old rhyme that a traveler in gorges would shed tears when the gibbons cried out three times.
2
Raft: “There is an old story that the Milk Way, Heaven’s River, connects with the ocean. In recent times there was
a man who lived on a small island in the ocean; and every year in the eighth month, without fail, a raft would float
past. The man conceived an unusual intention: he set up a high tower on the raft in which he laid up a large store of
provisions, and then he went off riding the raft. For more than ten days he could still see the sun, moon, stars, and
planets; but after that everything became murky and hazy, so much so that he could not even tell day from night.
After ten more days he suddenly came to a place that had the form of a city, whose buildings were constructed very
regularly. From afar he could look into the palace, in which there were many weaving girls. Then he saw a man
leading oxen to the bank to water them. The oxherd was startled and asked, ‘How did you get here?’ The man told
how he had planned he trip, and also asked what this place was. He was told in reply, ‘When you get around to Shu,
if you go seek out Yan Junping, you will find out.’ He never disembarked onto the shore, but went on back as he had
been told. Later he got to Shu and asked Junping about it, who said that in such and such a year, in such and such a
month, on such and such a day there had been a wandering star that had trespassed into the constellation of the
Oxherd. When they reckoned the year and month, it had been precisely when this man had reached Heaven’s River”
(Zhang Hua, Bowu zhi).
3
The “muralled ministry” is where were located the commemorative portraits of officers, civil and military, who
had done exceptional service to the dynasty. In the Han this was in the Secretariat, within which was located the
Board of Works, to which Du Fu held an honorary appointment. During the Han a censer was carried when
presenting a petition to the throne.
 52

III 三
A thousand homes of the mountain town are serene in the glow of 千家山郭靜朝暉
dawn;
day by day in my river tower I sit in an azure haze. 日日江樓坐翠微
Out two nights, the fishermen still drift along; 信宿漁人還泛泛
4 in clear skies the swallows keep flying on as ever. 清秋燕子故飛飛
Kuang Heng advising on policy—deeds and fame both slight. 匡衡抗疏功名薄
Liu Xiang passing on Classics—heart’s goal gone awry.1 劉向傳經心事違
The young men I once studied with are now most not of low degree; 同學少年多不賤
8 by Five Barrows their horses are plump and the mantles they wear are 五陵衣馬自輕肥
light.2

IV 四
I have heard tell that in Chang’an it’s like playing chess, 聞道長安似弈棋
a hundred-year span, the world’s troubles, grief beyond enduring. 百年世事不勝悲
Mansions of counts and princes all have new masters, 王侯第宅皆新主
4 those in civil and army uniforms differ from olden times. 文武衣冠異昔時
Straight north past fortified mountains kettledrums are thundering; 直北關山金鼓振
from wagon and horse on western campaigns winged dispatches rush. 征西車馬羽書遲
Fish and dragons grow silent now, autumn rivers grow cold, 魚龍寂寞秋江冷
8 the life I used to have at home is the longing in my heart. 故國平居有所思

1
Du Fu is here comparing his aims and contrasting his fate with two eminent Han intellectuals. Kuang Heng was a
famous Han statesman who rose to high position precisely because of the policy positions he presented to the throne.
In the same way Liu Xiang (79–8 BCE) was an important and successful scholar of the Classics.
2
Five Barrows, named for the tumuli of five Han emperors, had become in the Tang a fashionable residential area
just outside Chang’an. The rest of the line echoes a famous passage in the Analects (5.25) in which the disciple Zilu,
responding to a request from Confucius that he state his wishes, said: “I wish for horse and carriage and to be
mantled in light furs, then to share them with my friends; and even if they were to ruin them, I would not be
distressed.”
 53

V 五
Palace towers of Penglai stand facing South Mountain,1 蓬萊宮闕對南山
the metal stalk that catches the dew is high in the Milky Way.2 承露金莖霄漢間
Gazing west to Onyx Pool the Queen Mother is descending,3 西望瑤池降王母
4 from the east come purple vapors and fill Han Pass.4 東來紫氣滿函關
Pheasant tails shift in clouds, palace fans open 雲移雉尾開宮扇
sunlight circles dragon scales, I see the Emperor’s face. 日繞龍鱗識聖顏
By the gray river I lay once and woke, alarmed that the year had grown 一臥滄江驚歲晚
late—
8 how often did I, by the gates’ blue rings, take my humble place in dawn 幾回青瑣照朝班
court’s ranks?5

VI 六
From the mouth of Qutang Gorge to the Twisting River’s side,6 瞿唐峽口曲江頭
thousands of miles of wind-blown fog connect pale autumn. 萬里風煙接素秋
Through the walled passage to Calyx Manor the royal aura passed, 花萼夾城通禦氣
4 and into tiny Lotus Park the frontier’s sorrows entered.7 芙蓉小苑入邊愁
Beaded hanging and sculpted pillars surrounded brown swans, 朱簾繡柱圍黃鶴
from brocade cables and ivory mast rose a white gull. 錦纜牙檣起白鷗
The head turns with pity and love for those places of song and dance: 回首可憐歌舞地
8 Qin since ancient times has been a land of emperors. 秦中自古帝王州

1
Penglai Palace, named after the island in the Eastern Ocean inhabited by the gods, was part of the Han palace
compound. Tang palaces were commonly referred to by Han names.
2
The “stalk” is the bronze column erected by the Han Emperor Wu, on which a statue of an immortal held a pan to
catch dew from which an elixir of immortality could be made.
3
Emperor Wu of the Han was once visited by the goddess known as the Queen Mother of the West. During her visit
she gave him various magic herbs and told him all about the world of the gods. “That night, when the waterclock
had reached the third mark, there were no clouds in the sky, but there was a rumbling like thunder, and at last the
sky turned lavender. In a short while the Queen Mother arrived, riding a lavender coach, with Jade Maidens
attending on either side; she wore seven kinds of hair ornaments and black obsidian, phoenix patterned boots, green
vapors like clouds, and there were two bluebirds, as large as ravens, attending at the Queen Mother’s sides. When
she descended from her coach, His Majesty greeted her bowing, and invited the Queen Mother to sit, asking for the
herbs that conferred immortality (The Tales of Emperor Wu).
4
Laozi, the Taoist sage and supposed ancestor of the Tang royal house, went through Han Pass off westward to
become immortal. The attendant of the pass, seeing a purple vapor coming from the east, knew it was the sage
coming and hurried out to greet him. Laozi gave him the Daode jing.
5
The reference here is to the palace gates which were painted with a pattern of blue chain-links. Beneath these gates
the court officials assembled for the dawn audience with the emperor.
6
That is, the distance between Kuizhou and Chang’an.
7
Calyx Manor was part of the Xingqing Palace complex in the eastern part of the city. Between there and Lotus
Park by Twisting River directly to the south there was a walled passageway through which the emperor could pass
privately.
 54

VII 七
The waters of Kunming Pool are a deed of the days of Han, 昆明池水漢時功
pennons and banners of Emperor Wu are right before my eyes. 武帝旌旗在眼中
Loom threads of the Weaver Woman lie empty in the moonlit night, 織女機絲虛月夜
4 stone Leviathan’s fins and scales stir the autumn wind.1 石鯨鱗甲動秋風
Waves toss wild grass seed sinking in cloudy black, 波漂菰米沈雲黑
dew is chill on the lotus pod shedding powdery red. 露冷蓮房墜粉紅
Fortified passes stretch to the skies, a way for only birds, 關塞極天唯鳥道
8 lakes and rivers fill the earth, and one old man, fishing. 江湖滿地一漁翁

VIII 八
At Kunwu Hill the Yusu Brook winds around and away, 昆吾禦宿自逶迤
where the shadow of Purple Tower’s crest falls into Lake Meipi. 紫閣峰陰入渼陂
Sweet-smelling rice, pecked the last, for parrots, the grains; 香稻啄餘鸚鵡粒
4 Sapphire tung trees, perch of old, the phoenix’s branches. 碧梧棲老鳳凰枝
Fair maidens gathered kingfisher plumes, as gentle gifts in spring,2 佳人拾翠春相問
sharing a boat, undying companions moved further on that evening. 仙侶同舟晚更移
My colored brush in former outings ventured upon the atmosphere,3 彩筆昔遊幹氣象
8 now white-haired, I sing and gaze, head hanging in bitterness. 白頭吟望苦低垂

1
At Kunming Pool there was a statue of the Weaver Woman constellation and of a stone Leviathan whose fins
moved in the wind.
2
Perhaps referring to foliage or flowers to be strung from the sash.
3
Once the poet Jiang Yan dreamed that the earlier poet Guo Pu (276–324) appeared to him and asked for the return
of his colored writing brush, which he claimed to have left with Jiang for many years. When Jiang Yan woke up, he
found that his poetic talent had completely left him.
 55

Part 10. The Gentleman Farmer, 767–768

During his last year in Kuizhou (767), Du Fu seems to have attained some prosperity, probably
through the generosity of a patron. This is reflected in his buying property in two different
locations: a house in Nang-west that he had been renting previously, a spacious villa with flower
garden and a large orchard, mainly of orange trees; and another house, part of a rice farm, in
East Village. Thus Du Fu became a gentleman farmer; much more in earnest than he had ever
been. We find him directing his slaves, servants, and hired agents; chopping wood, mending
fences, plowing the fields, planting, weeding, irrigating, and harvesting. This period would be
brief but productive for him, both as a squire and as a poet.
 56

48 (18.34)
Having Been Thrown from My Horse While Drunk, Various Gentlemen Come to
Visit Me Bringing Ale
醉為馬墜，諸公攜酒相看

I, Du Fu, am an old guest of a lord of high rank; 甫也諸侯老賓客

done with my ale, I sang tipsily, and hefted a gilded pike. 罷酒酣歌拓金戟
At once I recalled riding my horse, how it used to be when young; 騎馬忽憶少年時
4 I let hooves run free, kicking down rocks of Qutang Gorge. 散蹄迸落瞿塘石
White Emperor Castle’s gates lie high, up beyond river and cloud, 白帝城門水雲外
I hunkered over, went right downslope, eight thousand feet. 低身直下八千尺
White battlements flashed like lightning with my trailing purple reins; 粉堞電轉紫遊韁
8 eastward reached the plateau coming out from a cliff reaching to 東得平岡出天壁
Heaven.
River villages, wilderness halls came rushing to my eyes, 江村野堂爭入眼
riding whip dangling, bit hanging loose, I sped over purple lanes. 垂鞭嚲鞚淩紫陌
This white-haired old man instantly shocked people by the thousands, 向來皓首驚萬人
12 trusting in skills of my youth to ride a horse and shoot. 自倚紅顏能騎射
Could I have known that those wind-chasing feet set free to follow 安知決臆追風足
their will,
the bloody sweat and headlong gallop like spurting jade, 朱汗驂驔猶噴玉
would unexpectedly stumble at last, and I would end up hurt?— 不虞一蹶終損傷
16 when you do what you want in life, humiliation usually follows. 人生快意多所辱
Then I was utterly miserable, confined to pillow and sheets; 職當憂戚伏衾枕
worse still, old age added to my vexation. 況乃遲暮加煩促
When friends came to ask after me, I hardened my face; 明知來問腆我顏
20 I forced myself up on my cane, leaning upon my servant. 杖藜強起依僮僕
After we spoke, we then broke into open-mouthed laughter, 語盡還成開口笑
helping me along, we cleared a new spot by the clear creek’s bend. 提攜別掃清溪曲
Meat and ale came heaped like mountains yet another time, 酒肉如山又一時
24 the moving strings at the party’s start stirred brash music of flutes. 初筵哀絲動豪竹
We gestured all to the sun in the west, it spares no man, 共指西日不相貸
we shouted and hooted, tipped upside-down the green ale in the cup. 喧呼且覆杯中淥
Why need you come galloping your horses to express your concern? 何必走馬來為問
28 have you not seen 君不見
how Xi Kang took such care of his life and at last was executed?1 嵇康養生遭殺戮

1
Xi Kang was a third-century recluse interested in various techniques for prolonging life and author of a “Treatise
on Nurturing Life,” Yangsheng lun 養生論. The most elementary precaution was to stay out of the troubled politics
of the era. He unfortunately failed in this, running afoul of the powerful Sima family, and was finally executed.
 57

49–50 (20.5–6)
Autumn Wilds: Five Poems (#2–3)
秋野五首

II 二
Easy to recognize the pattern in this life adrift— 易識浮生理
you can’t make a single creature go against its nature. 難教一物違
Where the water is deep, the fish have the utmost joy; 水深魚極樂
4 birds know to return where the woods are most leafy. 林茂鳥知歸
Aging and infirm, I accept poverty and sickness, 吾老甘貧病
in prominence and glory there are judgments to be made. 榮華有是非
The autumn wind blows on my cane and armrest, 秋風吹幾杖
8 I do not weary of north mountain’s wild beans. 不厭此山薇

III 三
Music and Rites work on my shortcomings, 禮樂攻吾短
mountain forests make my elation last. 山林引興長
I toss my head, my gauze cap tilts, 掉頭紗帽仄
4 and sun my back, the light on my bamboo books. 曝背竹書光
I gather pinecones brought down by the wind, 風落收松子
I hack open honeycombs as the weather gets cold. 天寒割蜜房
Few and sparse, tiny reds and azures,1 稀疏小紅翠
8 I halt my clogs close to faint scent. 駐屐近微香

1
Autumn flowers.
 58

51 (20.47)
Another Presented to Administrator Wu
又呈吳郎

I let my western neighbor pick dates from in front of the hall, 堂前撲棗任西鄰
a single woman with no child and nothing to eat. 無食無兒一婦人
If she were not in dire poverty, why would she do this?— 不為困窮寧有此
4 only because she is so fearful one must be even more friendly. 只緣恐懼轉須親
Although she goes too far in avoiding the visitor from afar, 即防遠客雖多事
if you put up a sparse hedge, she will take it too naively.1 使插疏籬卻甚真
She has already complained that tax demands have made her poor to 已訴徵求貧到骨
the bone,
8 I think on the warhorses and tears fill my kerchief. 正思戎馬淚盈巾

1
In other words, she will think that you are no longer going to let her pick dates.
 59

52–53 (20.103–04)
Describing My Cares: Two Poems
寫懷二首

I 一
The burden of life is alike in the world, 勞生共乾坤
what place is different in custom? 何處異風俗
We race ahead bit by bit, 冉冉自趨競
4 but as we go, we get tangled in restraints. 行行見羈束
Were there no high status, the low-born would not grieve; 無貴賤不悲
were there no wealth, the poor man too would be content. 無富貧亦足
A single skeleton for all time, 萬古一骸骨
8 as the neighbors sing and weep in turn. 鄰家遞歌哭
Since I came to the Wu Gorges 鄙夫到巫峽
three years have been like a flickering candle. 三歲如轉燭
I willingly linger on here to keep alive, 全命甘留滯
12 passions forgotten, I accept either glory or shame. 忘情任榮辱
From days of court ranks to my twilight years 朝班及暮齒
for my daily provision I still have brown rice. 日給還脫粟
I built a hut east of the stone walls, 編蓬石城東
16 and pick herbs in the valley north of the mountain. 采藥山北穀
I apply myself to this even in frost and snow— 用心霜雪間
it need not be when branches and vines turn green. 不必條蔓綠
It has nothing to do with purposeful “calm amid change”; 非關故安排
20 it was following my own secluded solitude. 曾是順幽獨
The perfected gentleman is straight as a bowstring, 達士如弦直
the small man is like a bent hook. 小人似鉤曲
Whether bent or straight I do not know— 曲直我不知
24 I sun myself awaiting the woodsmen and herders. 負暄候樵牧
 60

II 二
Deep at night I sat on my southern porch, 夜深坐南軒
and the bright moon shone on my lap. 明月照我膝
A gust of wind blew over the River of Stars, 驚風翻河漢
4 and the sun already came forth on my roofbeams. 梁棟已出日
Each of all living things has passed the night, 群生各一宿
birds and beasts find their companions and mates. 飛動自儔匹
I too make my son hurry, 吾亦驅其兒
8 to be busy about our private stocks. 營營為私實
The weather is cold, travelers few, 天寒行旅稀
at year’s end the sun and moon hurry. 歲暮日月疾
Glory and fame ignore the middling man, 榮名忽中人
12 the world is in turmoil like lice. 世亂如蟣虱
In olden days before the Three Emperors, 古者三皇前
when the belly was full, all ambition ceased. 滿腹志願畢
Why was there the knotted cord,1 胡為有結繩
16 that we fell here, stuck in lacquer and glue? 陷此膠與漆
Disaster’s start was with the Kindler;2 禍首燧人氏
the next step to hostility was Dong Hu’s brush.3 厲階董狐筆
Just look when a lamp or candle is lit, 君看燈燭張
20 how it makes the moths fly ever denser around. 轉使飛蛾密
I let my spirit free beyond the eight limits, 放神八極外
in an instant all is gone in the whistling wind. 俯仰俱蕭瑟
At last I will tally with Ultimate Reality— 終契如往還
24 can this not be the arts of the Metal Immortal?4 得匪金仙術

1
The supposed origin of writing.
2
The Kindler was a mythical ruler of primordial antiquity who taught the use of fire and governed by knotting cords
for records.
3
Dong Hu was a Jin archivist of the Spring and Autumn period, famous for his straightforwardness.
4
“Ultimate Reality,” bhūtatathāta, is a Buddhist term. The “Metal Immortal” is Buddha.
 61

Part 11. Last Days

In the spring of 768 Du Fu and his family set out on the Yangzi, sailing downstream to Jiangling,
some 250 miles. Their original plan was to turn north and go up the Han River toward the
capital, but a realistic assessment of the poet’s health, along with fresh news of yet another
Tibetan invasion, soon put an end to this plan. Instead, Du Fu, visiting friends and depending on
patrons, went on exploring the south, making his way eventually to Yueyang in Hunan, on the
large Dongting Lake. A local insurrection sent the family on the move again, heading south from
Tanzhou. Heavy rains impeded progress, and when the revolt was put down, they returned to
Tanzhou. From there Du Fu still had hopes, apparently, of returning to Chang’an. But the winter
of 770–771 saw him out on the big lake again, traveling north, and he died on the boat en route.
 62

54 (14.63)
Writing of My Feelings Traveling by Night
旅夜書懷

Thin plants, a shore with faint breeze, 細草微風岸

looming mast, lone night boat. 危檣獨夜舟
Stars suspended over the expanse of the wild plain, 星垂平野闊
4 the moon surges as the great river flows on. 月湧大江流
My name will never be known from my writings, 名豈文章著
aging and sick, I should quit my post. 官因老病休
Wind-tossed, what is my likeness?— 飄飄何所似
8 between Heaven and Earth, a single sandgull. 天地一沙鷗
 63

55 (22.30)
Climbing Yueyang Tower
登岳陽樓

I heard long ago of Dongting’s waters, 昔聞洞庭水

and this day I climb Yueyang Tower. 今上岳陽樓
Wu and Chu split apart in the southeast, 吳楚東南坼
4 Heaven and Earth float day and night. 乾坤日夜浮
From kin and friends not a single words, 親朋無一字
old and sick, I do have a solitary boat. 老病有孤舟
War-horses north of barrier mountains, 戎馬關山北
8 I lean on the railing, my tears streaming down. 憑軒涕泗流
 64

56 (23.47)
About to Return to Qin in Late Autumn, Parting from My Friends in the Hunan
Headquarters
暮秋將歸秦，留別湖南幕府親友

The waters are vast by the wilds of Cangwu, 水闊蒼梧野

the heavens are high, the White Emperor’s autumn.1 天高白帝秋
How can I avoid weeping at journey’s end?—2 途窮那免哭
4 my body old, I cannot forbid sorrow. 身老不禁愁
This great headquarters, concourse of talent and ability, 大府才能會
all you gentlemen excel in achievements of virtue. 諸公德業優
Returning north, I will run into rain and snow, 北歸沖雨雪
8 who will pity my tattered sable cape?3 誰憫敝貂裘

1
The White Emperor was the god of autumn.
2
Ruan Ji (210–263), poet and one of the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove,” famously wept when he came to the
end of a road—figuratively not knowing where to go.
3
The furs of the persuader Su Qin, ruined in his travels.