With now two translations of “春望” posted on the list, I think we are experiencing a mini poetry translation slam. Any other takers?–Kirk
A Glimpse of Spring
variation on a poem by Du Fu (712-770)
States come and go; mountains and rivers persist.
The city in springtime: greenery and foliage proliferate.
For the times that are in it, flowers drip tears.
At the thought of parting, birds panic.
Warning beacons alight for three solid months.
A letter from home would stave off ruin.
White hair just about torn to the roots.
Hardly enough left to hold a hatpin in.
Seán Golden. “A Glimpse of Spring”, The SHOp. A Magazine of Poetry, 29, Spring 2009, 46.
Sean Golden <sean.golden@uab.es>