Autumn Winds (after Li Po)
Clear autumn winds swirl
below the moon’s glow,
scattering the gathered leaves.
The startled crows return.
When will we see each other again?
This hour, this lonely night, my feelings grow brittle.
The transliteration on Chinese-poems.com reads:
Autumn wind clear
Autumn moon bright
Fall leaves gather and scatter
Jackdaw perch again startle
Each think each see know what day
This hour this night hard be feeling
“Autumn Winds” first appeared in September, 2014. I started the adaptation in the heart of summer, hoping that it would offer a respite from the unrelenting Texas heat…
O at the Edges 
Gorgeous. Thank you.
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So pleased you find it so, Ellen. Thank you.
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Beautiful! Thanks so much!
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Thank you, as always, Phil.
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A breath of fresh air!
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Keep inhaling, Victoria. Thank you.
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This is gorgeous, Robert. So rich in imagery.
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Li Po’s poetry still resonates, even after all these centuries!
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Well, I think some credit is rightly yours, Robert. There is much room for interpretation in the original, and your interpretation is lovely. I love that you provide the transliteration.
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Thank you, Nadia. I wish the transliterations came with extensive notes about the original characters used. But then I’d get lost in them…
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I love the line “my feelings grow brittle”. Great poem!
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Thank you, Serena. Li Po gets all the credit.
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Beautifully done. Li Po is one of my favorites, he even managed to inspire me to write a poem of my own once. And I remember theTexas heat (and humidity) from living in San Antonio.
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Thank you, Angela. I’d love to read your poem. This spring has been unusually cool. I hope the same will be true for summer.
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st for you I will fit it into a post.
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I look forward to it! Thank you.
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Lovely. I will have to learn more about Li Po. Thank you for the inspiration.
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Li Po, also known as Li Bai, is truly one of the greats. You’re in for a treat. I’ve adapted a handful of his poems, and posted them on the blog.
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This is absolutely beautiful, Robert. I love that you include the transliteration.
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Thanks, Tanya. Translations of his poetry are readily available, but I’ve found that attempting my own adaptations lets me “enter” them in a different way. It’s challenging, but fun.
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Beautiful! You’ve kept the poem alive. Otherwise just marks on a page….
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That’s all I could hope for. Thank you!
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So very lovely… nicely written, Robert. 🙂
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Thank you, Iris.
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You’re welcome, Robert.
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