Wednesday, December 19, 2007

971 Years Later, A Poet Is Relevant Still

Today is the birthday of the Chinese poet Su Tung-po, born in 1036 in what we know as the Sichuan province. One of his poems is a perfect observation of early winter, even here in Austin:

Pu suan tzu
A fragment moon hangs from the bare tung tree
The water clock runs out, all is still
Who sees the dim figure come and go alone
Misty, indistinct, the shadow of a lone wild goose?
Startled, she gets up, looks back
With longing no one sees
And will not settle on any of the cold branches
Along the chill and lonely beach



No comments: