Small farmer's shop on site of Tang Dynasty 曲江, Bent River

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Sorrow at River Head 2

Du fu 712-770  This old cogger chokes back his sobs,  In spring steals back to Bent River bend.  At river head palace doors all locked,  Graceful willows, for whom do they turn green?  I recall in the south garden           the dance of the Rainbow Feathers,  Everywhere life flushed in radiant colors. In Zhaoyang Palace the Emperor's favorite, In the royal carriage ministers to his desires. Guards before them with weapons ready, While white horses chew on golden straps. An archer strains upwards shoots into the clouds, With one arrow hits two birds on the wing. Her bright eys and ivory teeth, where are they now? Her blood stained soul returns no more. The clear Wei flows eastward through deep Sword Pass, With no news of here wherabouts. As a man I feel sad, tears moisten my breast, River's flow water lilies, how can they continue? At sunset mounted barbarians fill the city with dust, I want to flee south but turn north for one final look.

Āi Jiāngtóu

Dù Fǔ 712-770 Shǎolíng yělǎo tūnshēng kū, Chūnrì qiánxíng Qūjiāng qū. Jiāngtóu gōngdiàn suǒ qiānmén, Xì liǔ xīn pú wèi shei yuán? Yìxī níjīng xià nán yuàn, Yuàn zhōng wànwù shēng yánsè. Zhāo yáng diào lǐ dìyī rén, Tóng niǎn suí jūn shì jūn cè. Niǎn qián cáirén dài gōngjiàn, Bái mǎ jué niè huāngjīn lēi. Fānshēn xiàng tiān yǎng shè yún, Yī jiàn zhèng zhuì shuāngfēi yì. Míngmóuhàochǐ jīn hézzài? Xiěwū yóu hún guī bùdé. Qīng Wèi dōng liú jiàn gé shēn, Qùzhù bǐcǐ wú xiāoxī. Rénshēng yǒuqíng zhān yì, Jiāngshuǐ jiāng huā qǐ zhōngjí? Huánghūn hú qí chén mǎn chéng, Yù wǎng chéng nán wàng chéng běi.

Translator:

Dongbo 東波

Notes: This is the complete version of this Du Fu poem. In757, at the time of the 安祿山 An Lushan Rebellion, Du Fu was captured and and placed in Changan under guard. one day he managed to sneak to the site of the 曲江 Qujiang, Bent River where the emperor had built a pleasure palace where he cavorted with his favorite concubine Yang Guifei. Du Fu found the Bent River pleasure palace deserted and locked. Today, in the spring of 2004, one thousand two hundred and fourty seven years later, there are no remains of the palace or the Bent River (actually it was a lake rather than a river). Between the Y of two roads are small farm plots of safflower oil plants and a farmer's shack.

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