Night Journey (after Tu Fu)

Posted on November 1, 2015 by robert okaji

First posted in March, 2014.

This is not a translation, but rather a version, my “take” on a famous Tu Fu poem. I claim no abilities in translation, neither speak nor read Chinese, and instead depend upon the skills of those who have ventured into these difficult reaches. This is where the poem carries me, a middle-aged Texas hill county dweller, in the Year of the Horse, 2014.

Night Journey (after Tu Fu)

Wind bends the grass along the road.
A lonely truck passes by.
Stars reach down to touch these hills
and the moon drifts behind.

No one will ever know my poems.
I am too old and ill to work.
Circling, floating, who am I
but a vulture looking down.

Here’s a literal translation of the piece (or so I believe), found on chinese-poems.com:

Nocturnal Reflections While Traveling

Gently grass soft wind shore
Tall mast alone night boat
Stars fall flat fields broad
Moon rises great river flows

Name not literary works mark
Official should old sick stop
Flutter flutter what place seem
Heaven earth one sand gull

My goal was to retain the mood, as I understand it, of the original, and to place it into my personal context. An interesting exercise.

40 thoughts on “Night Journey (after Tu Fu)”

Ellar Wise on November 1, 2015 at 9:20 am said:

Very nice to read again one of your ‘translation’. Excellent! Heaven earth one sand gull but a vulture looking down… Here and there!

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 2:42 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much!
  
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derrickjknight on November 1, 2015 at 9:27 am said:

Congrats

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 2:43 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Derrick.
  
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Rob McShane on November 1, 2015 at 9:32 am said:

Nicely done Robert!

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 2:43 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Rob. Much appreciated.
  
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KIA on November 1, 2015 at 9:36 am said:

Excellent poem and translation. Loved reading this

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 3:26 pm said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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Susi Lovell on November 1, 2015 at 9:57 am said:

Your response to Tu Fu’s poem has spurred me to respond to both your and his poems on this rainy morning. I’m not a poet and I haven’t edited this but I know if I stop to edit, I’ll never share it! So from a Canadian urban dweller, living in a city with two official languages:

Early Morning Rain Reflections

Silver foil slushes to kerb.
Concrete glass aluminum crowd
together. White sky streams down
searching for long-smothered rivers.

Words slip, forgetting meaning,
No-one to hold them back.
Effortlessly they soar, mocking
the meagerness of my reach.

Thanks for the inspiration!

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 2:45 pm said:
  
  Thanks for sharing this, Suzi. A poet lives in you. Perhaps you should let her out more often!
  
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Mikels Skele on November 1, 2015 at 10:44 am said:

That is a gorgeous non-translation.

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 3:00 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much.
  
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Bioman on November 1, 2015 at 10:56 am said:

Aaah! Lovely.

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 2:49 pm said:
  
  Thanks, B.
  
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sneffwriter on November 1, 2015 at 1:55 pm said:

Very

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 2:48 pm said:
  
  Thanks.
  
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Mary Tang on November 1, 2015 at 3:07 pm said:

It is good to see poems inspired by Du Fu – yours have such imagery, sound and rhythm that you owe little, other than inspiration, to him. Of course, that inspiration is what we all long for. I believe you are successful in evoking his spirit 🙂

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 3:12 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Mary. I enjoyed placing the poem into my context.
  
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  - Mary Tang on November 1, 2015 at 3:20 pm said:
    
    You made it yours.
    
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  - robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 3:26 pm said:
    
    I try.
    
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Maureen on November 1, 2015 at 3:57 pm said:

Great take on this poem – and I love Chinese poetry! You should read ‘Steal like an Artist’ by Austin Kleon. Using other poets for inspiration is a great idea.

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- robert okaji on November 2, 2015 at 6:40 am said:
  
  Thank you, Maureen.
  
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  - Maureen Sudlow on November 2, 2015 at 1:03 pm said:
    
    thank you for the pleasure…
    
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mincs1 on November 1, 2015 at 4:28 pm said:

Your interpretation of the poem is beautiful; it sounds authentic, from the heart.

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 11:55 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much.
  
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philsblog01 on November 1, 2015 at 4:48 pm said:

Always love these translations!

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- robert okaji on November 1, 2015 at 11:56 pm said:
  
  Thanks, Phil!
  
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davekingsbury on November 2, 2015 at 1:55 pm said:

Great way to use internet auto translation. Gonna try it after this! Thanks.

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- robert okaji on November 4, 2015 at 12:24 pm said:
  
  It’s worth a try. Go for it!
  
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knlistman on November 2, 2015 at 2:29 pm said:

I like the addition of the vulture, the turkey-headed kind that float above the roads in Texas are ugly close up. but so graceful from the distance that I envy their ability to ride the air currents.

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- robert okaji on November 4, 2015 at 12:25 pm said:
  
  Thanks. I see a lot of the vultures (more of the black vultures than turkey vultures), and admire their grace in the sky.
  
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fjllore on November 2, 2015 at 4:41 pm said:

I enjoyed your translation. Captures the spirit of the original intent.

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- robert okaji on November 4, 2015 at 12:26 pm said:
  
  You’re very kind. Thank you.
  
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The Redhead on November 14, 2015 at 6:59 pm said:

Beautiful.

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- robert okaji on November 14, 2015 at 7:18 pm said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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manuelgarciajr on November 27, 2015 at 10:26 pm said:

MG,Jr. version of Tu Fu’s poem “Nocturnal Reflections While Travelling”
This paraphrasing was spurred by reading (and appreciating) Robert Okaji’s example.
https://robertokaji.com/2015/11/01/night-journey-after-tu-fu-2/

Night Sail

Soft wind gently through shore grass waving,
Alone by the tall mast, sailing at night.
Fields of stars stretch beyond seeing,
The great river flow is quavering moonlight.

My writing all, born for oblivion,
Myself, aged past thought by those today.
Heaven and Earth and I are all One,
Emerging as sand-gull wings flutter away.

28 November 2015

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Ken Knabb on July 19, 2016 at 1:36 pm said:

I just added your Tu Fu adaptation to this webpage: http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm

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- robert okaji on July 19, 2016 at 2:22 pm said:
  
  Thanks very much!
  
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kenknabb on July 19, 2016 at 1:38 pm said:

I just added your adaptation to this webpage: http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm

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