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River Snow
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Liu Zongyuan 773-819
Thousand mountains
birds flown away,
Ten thousand paths
men's traces extinguished.
Lone boat
old man in straw hat,
Fishing alone
in cold river snow.
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Jiāng Xuě
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Liǔ Zōngyuán 773-819
Qiān shān niǎo fēi jué,
Wàn jìng rén zōng miè.
Gū zhōu suō lì wēng,
Dú diào hán jiāng xuě.
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Notes: "By the time you start reading, it’s already over, which only makes you ponder its meaning all the more." Eileen Chang in her essay 'On Carrots'.
Location unknown, perhaps XiaoXiang Rivers area in southern Hunan where Liu was exiled on the first of his two exiles. See other translations of this deceptively simple poem by Gary Snyder, Kenneth Rexroth, David Hinton, and others.
Image is of a painting by Lu Zuogeng. See his website at lu-zuogeng.com/gallery5.html.
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