Liu Zongyuan English Translations
Click on the title of each poem for the text in Chinese characters, pinyin and literal translation.
Entering Yellow Stream and Hearing an Ape
Liu Zongyuan
The road and stream bend for a thousand li,
Sorrowfully, an ape somewhere calls.
The lonely servant’s tears are now exhausted,
The heartbreaking sound is in vain.
River Snow
Liu Zongyuan
A thousand hills, but no birds in flight,
Ten thousand paths, with no person's tracks.
A lonely boat, a straw-hatted old man,
Fishing alone in the cold river snow.
Travelling on the Southern Valley Path to a Deserted Village on an Autumn Morning
Liu Zongyuan
The end of autumn- there’s heavy frost and dew;
At dawn, I rise and go to the hidden valley.
Yellow leaves cover the stream and bridge,
In the empty village, just ancient trees.
Cold flowers are scattered, each alone,
The hidden stream breaks off, and reappears.
My own heart’s plans are long forgotten now,
What can it be that startles the deer?
