Li Bai: Central Anhui, Sick in Bed, Heartfelt Words for Rui Zhao, in Central Sichuan, Who Refused to Accept an Imperial Summons

Central Anhui, Sick in Bed, Heartfelt Words for Rui Zhao, in Central Sichuan, Who Refused to Accept an Imperial Summons

淮 南 卧 病 书 怀 寄 蜀 中 赵 征 君 蕤

吴 会 一 浮 云
飘 如 远 行 客。
功 业 莫 从 就
岁 光 屡 奔 迫。

良 图 俄 弃 捐
衰 疾 乃 绵 剧。
古 琴 藏 虚 匣
长 剑 挂 空 壁。

楚 怀 秦 钟 仪
越 吟 比 庄 舄。
国 门 遥 天 外
乡 路 远 山 隔。

朝 忆 相 如 台
夜 梦 子 云 宅。
斿 情 初 结 缉
秋 气 方 寂 历。

风 入 松 下 清
露 出 草 间 白。
故 人 不 在 此
而 我 谁 与 适？
寄 书 西 飞 鸿
赠 尔 慰 离 析。

Huai Nan Wo Bing Shu Huai Ji Shu Zhong Zhao Zheng Jun Rui

Wu hui yi fu yun
Piao ru yuan xing ke.
Gong ye mo cong jiu
Sui guang lu ben po.

Liang tu e qi juan
Shuai ji nai mian ju.
Gu qin cang xu xia
Chang jian gua kong bi.

Chu huai qin zhong yi
yue yin bi zhuang xi.
Guo men yao tian wai
Xiang lu yuan shan ge.

Zhao yi xiang ru tai
Ye meng zi yun zhai.
You qing chu jie li
Qiu qi fang ji li.

Feng ru song xia qing
Lu chu cao jian bai.
Gu ren bu zai ci
Er wo shei yu shi?
Ji shu xi fei hong
Zeng er wei li xi.

Central Anhui, Sick in Bed, Heartfelt Words for Rui Zhao, in Central Sichuan, Who Refused to Accept an Imperial Summons

Like one floating cloud, travel around Jiangsu
Flutter about like distant traveling visitors.
Without any achievements or their fruits
Days and years continually rush by.

Expectations of beauty, suddenly have to abandon
Declining health intermittently gentle and intense.
Guqin loosely hidden in it’s small case
Long sword remains hung from the empty wall

Think of Zhong Yi playing his qin
Compare with Zhuang Niao whom the Yue people still lament.
Faraway, beyond the horizon are the capital’s gates
Hometown distant, road through and in between the mountains.

At dawn recall the tower in Xianglu
Evenings dream of my Zi Yun house.
Travel sentiments starting to be seized up
Autumn air, moving towards colder weather

Winds enter the pine trees, fallen needles cleared away
Between blades of grass, frosty dew emerges.
Old friends are not here
For me, who can I be comfortable with?
Send this poem to the west like geese on the wing
Send as a gift to you, to comfort my feelings of separation.

Notes:

Jiangsu: Province in eastern China.

Guqin:  Chinese stringed musical instrument. Also known as a qin.

Yue people:  Indigenous people from the coastal province of Shandong to the Changjiang basin and Sichuan. Flourished in the centuries just before, and just after the beginning of the Christian Era.

Xianglu:  Also known as Incense Burner Peak, located near Shaoxing in the province of Zhejiang.

Zi Yun house: Present day county inside Guizhou Province.