For a Hearty Old Man
Eighty years old with nowhere to go,
Away and cold, you beg for clothes;
Again and again I pity your woes
As all is gone, but the wind still blows.
Original Chinese poem by Bai Juyi
Returning to the Lake Pavilion at Night
As the sun dies down I lie in the lake pavilion,
Heart disturbed and drawn by various affairs;
Sleep ruined, I wake and drink, intoxicated,
Sitting and waiting in the cool night air.
Rain in the pines has sent my rattan hat afloat,
The river wind has pierced my hempen clothes:
Walking by willows, never tired of this path,
The sand is soft like cotton in falling snow.
Original Chinese poem by Bai Juyi
