Zhongnanshan, South Mountains, south of Xian

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Away From Home In Early Spring

Sima Guang 1019-1086 April days fickle         clear.... rain...                 then fine again, Before my door South Mountain juts starkly, Willow catkins no longer bob in the wind, And sunflowers need to face the sun.

Kèzhōng Chūxià

Sīmǎ Guāng 1019-1086 Sìyuè qīnghé yǔ zhà qíng, Nánshān dāng hù zhuǎn fēnmíng. Gèng wú liǔxù yīn fēng qǐ, Wéiyǒu kuīhuā xiàngrì qīng.

Translator:

Dongbo 東波

Notes: Dongbo readily admits to flagrant borrowing and plagiarizing from all the master translators he can find, sometimes paraphrasing, sometimes stealing entire lines, always learning from the experts. He feels no sense of remorse in doing this, for in the Chinese poetic tradition this has always been the case, and such borrowing has been a form of respect and acknowlegement of superior talent. Furthermore, it is the only way Dongbo, stupid old fart that he is, can manage to do what he does. This particular effort owes much to Red Pine's translation on page 277 of his Poems of the Masters.

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Zhōngnánshān, Far South Mountain; 終南山

Shǎnxī 陝西

Xīān (Chángān) 西安 (長安)