Night Sail
Soft wind gently through shore grass waving,
Alone by the tall mast sailing at night.
Fields of stars stretch far beyond seeing,
The great river flow is quavering moonlight.
All my writing is born for oblivion,
Myself, aged past thought by people today.
Heaven, Earth and I are sounding the One
Out of sand-gull wings fluttering away. <>
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MG,Jr. version of Tu Fu’s poem Nocturnal Reflections While Travelling.
This paraphrasing was spurred by reading (and appreciating) Robert Okaji’s example.
http://robertokaji.com/2015/11/01/night-journey-after-tu-fu-2/
Wonderful rendition!
Thanks
I just added your translation to this webpage: http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/tu-fu.htm
Thank you. I tweeked it a bit since 2015 (the version you posted). As your page shows, the poem lends itself to endless variations.
Better oblivion
Than splayed
In the fisheye
Of tomorrow’s people