This cloud, that has drifted all day through the sky,
May, like a wanderer, never come back….
Three nights now I have dreamed of you --
As tender, intimate and real as though I were awake.
And then, abruptly rising to go,
You told me the perils of adventure
By river and lake-the storms, the wrecks,
The fears that are borne on a little boat;
And, here in my doorway, you rubbed your white head
As if there were something puzzling you.
…Our capital teems with officious people,
While you are alone and helpless and poor.
Who says that the heavenly net never fails?
It has brought you ill fortune, old as you are.
…A thousand years' fame, ten thousand years' fame-
What good, when you are dead and gone.
Original Poem:
「梦李白二首 · 其二」
杜甫
浮云终日行，游子久不至。
三夜频梦君，情亲见君意。
告归常局促，苦道来不易。
江湖多风波，舟楫恐失坠。
出门搔白首，若负平生志。
冠盖满京华，斯人独憔悴。
孰云网恢恢，将老身反累。
千秋万岁名，寂寞身后事。
Interpretation:
This poem follows the previous one.
The floating clouds are visible, but Li Bai is not visible, the poet misses Li Bai deeply.
Then he writes about the phantom of Li Bai in his dream before his soul returns: whenever he says goodbye, Li Bai is always restless, unwilling to leave, and repeatedly complains bitterly: “How difficult it is to come here! I am really afraid of sinking into the water.” He went out to leave, always scratching the gray hair on his head, as if for failing to live up to his ambition and resentment!
Next, I wrote that I woke up from a dream to express my injustice for Li Bai’s rough encounter. You see, in the city of Chang’an, Kyoto, is full of high-ranking officials and dignitaries, but Li Bai such a great poet “only emaciated”, stuck in a bad situation, no way out, and even at the age of 59 years old “will be the old” years, was banished to the night, and even the freedom has been lost! Where is this “Heaven’s net is wide open”? The sharp contrast and affectionate rebuke show the poet’s deep sympathy for Li Bai and his strong resentment against the evil forces! Li Bai’s poetic talent, although it can enjoy the reputation of the ages, but suffered such a miserable life, “after the” lonely and ignorant, and what is the use of it! Poet in this heavy sigh of contention, puts on Li Bai’s high evaluation and deep sympathy, but also full of their own bumpy zero fall a lot of internal suffering.
This poem echoes the previous poem. The former poem is about the first dream, this poem is about the frequent dream; the former poem is about the doubtful illusion, this poem is about the clear image; the former poem focuses on the concern of Li Bai’s situation at that time, and this poem expresses the sympathy for his life; the former poem is about the fear of Li Bai alone, and this poem is about the unfairness of the poet’s feelings. The same dream of Li Bai, the same subject matter and performance is different, which shows the poet’s skillful poetic art, and at the same time expresses the true and sincere feelings of the human world.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Du Fu (杜甫), 712 – 770 AD, was a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, known as the “Sage of Poetry”. Born into a declining bureaucratic family, Du Fu had a rough life, and his turbulent and dislocated life made him keenly aware of the plight of the masses. Therefore, his poems were always closely related to the current affairs, reflecting the social life of that era in a more comprehensive way, with profound thoughts and a broad realm. In his poetic art, he was able to combine many styles, forming a unique style of “profound and thick”, and becoming a great realist poet in the history of China.
