To Hermit Eighth Wei1
Du, Fu 2 (712-770 CE)
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| Author: Fu Du |
He and I move like Shen and Shang3.
How fortunate we are this evening to be able to share this candlelight!
How long can youth and strength last?
Our hair has already turned gray.
As we try to visit our old friends,
Half of them have become ghosts.
Your unexpected greeting warmed my heart.
Who could imagine, after twenty years, that I would be able to see you again?
When we parted, you were unmarried.
All of a sudden your children form a line.
With joy and respect for their father’s friend
They ask me from where I come.
Before I can finish answering their questions,
They start to set out unstrained wine.
In the night rain they gather chives
And add some saffron 4 to the rice before preparing the meal.
The host remarks that it is difficult for us to get together.
He insists on toasting me with wine ten times in a row.
Without being intoxicated I appreciate his long-lasting friendship.
By tomorrow night we will be separated by mountains.
Worldly affairs are doubly unpredictable: both for you and for me.
1Eighth Wei gained his name because he was the eighth child of the Wei family.
2Zi-mei was Fu Du’s alternative first name. He was a native of Gong-xian City in Henan Province. His additional names were Du-ling-bu-yi, Shao-ling-ye-lao, Xiang-yang-du-fu, Du-shao-ling, Du-gong-bu, or Du-shi-yi. He was a grandson of Shen-yan Du. During the late Kai-yuan Period, he roamed all over China after he failed the Advanced Exam. He had made his home in Chang-an, the capital of the Tang dynasty, for almost ten years. After the rebellion led by Lu-shan An and Si-ming Shi was crushed, Du was appointed Advisor to the emperor. Later, he became a staff officer who assessed the competence of the personnel at Hua-zhou City. Soon after he resigned his position and moved to the State of Shu. He built a thatched hut by Wan-hua Creek and became an aide to Wu Yan, the Military Commissioner of the Jian-nan District. In his late years, he left the State of Shu with his family and died from a sickness in a boat on the Xiang River. His poems deeply reflected the social problems during his time, so he was called the Historian Poet or the Sage of Poetry. He mastered the lü-shi (similar to heptameter) style and the ancient style of poetry. His poems were elegant, profound and rich in variety. The pause and transition in rhythm fully expressed his passions. It can be said that his poems were compositions that embodied contributions of previous generations and served as models for later generations.
3When the Star Shen rises, the Star Shang falls, and vice versa.
4They add some yellow rice to the white rice. As yellow rice is cooked, it produces a fragrant smell.
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| Translator: Li-Chung Wang |
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