A beautiful translation of a beautiful Du Fu (杜甫) poem

All credit to Simon Sarris who first shared this and (I presume) translated it:

Where to Live by Du Fu

West of the Flower Washing Stream,
not far downstream from the bridge,
the master has chosen a quiet spot
here in the woods by the river.

Living apart from the city crowds,
the world loosens its grip;
murmuring of this clear water dissolves
the sadness that burdens a stranger.

Countless dragonflies play in the air,
dancing up and down;
a pair of wild ducks out in the stream
swim and dive together.

You could take a boat downstream,
thousands of miles to the east­
or else forget the boat, and live
here by this stream forever.

And here’s the original Chinese:

卜居 – 杜甫

浣花溪水水西头
主人为卜林塘幽

已知出郭少尘事
更有澄江销客忧

无数蜻蜓齐上下
一双鸂鶒对沉浮

东行万里堪乘兴
须向山阴上小舟

Discover more from @habits

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading