Check out Ken Gierke’s masterful adaptation of a Tu Fu poem!
Sighs of Autumn Rain #3 (visiting Tu Fu)
Who would notice this common man in Chang’an?
Within his walls, watching through the gate
Cloistered, too old to tend to the weeds
In the rain, children pass by without concern
Hastened by the early cold in the wind’s sighs
A lone goose struggles overhead, wet wings weighted
The white sun has not been seen this autumn
Will the mud ever dry?
Literal translations of classic Chinese poetry can be found at chinese-poems.com. I first learned of this from Robert Okaji, who has written several interpretations of some of those poems. This is my interpretation of a poem by Tu Fu. The literal translation, as provided at chinese-poems.com, is as follows:
Sighs of Autumn Rain (3)
Chang’an commoner who notice
Be locked in weigh gate watch surround wall
Old people not go grow weeds
Child without worry walk wind rain
Rain…
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O at the Edges 
Thank you, Bob.
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It was my pleasure, Ken. I very much admire your version.
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Tu Fu must have spent some time in Oregon… I have much compassion for the struggling goose.
This is beautiful, Ken! Thanks for posting this, Bob.
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Lately I’ve felt like that goose, but I feel the sun coming.
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What a premonition…!
The news of your Pushcart nomination just sent a little sunshine my way, too!
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I guess I’m psycho, or something like that. 🙂 But it really was a nice little ray of much needed sunshine.
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