52 Poems: Week 12 Wang Wei

During my MFA program at Antioch we took a course on translation and these are two of the poems I remember reading. We read and translated each poem and then read our classmates' translations until each poem became a dizzying collage of words and images.

Needless to say, the images from both of these stayed with me and with NoRuz (Persian New Year), and spring break upon us, they seemed perfect to share.The images are from the trip to China David and I took when my sister and her family were living there. One lotus shot is from Summer Palace in Beijing and the other is from the Great Wall looking into North Korea.

At the Lake Pavilion
By Wang Wei

On a skiff to meet an honored guest,
Slowly, slowly, it floats across the lake.
Facing the railing, we drink wine,
And on all sides, lotus flowers are in bloom.

Deer Enclosure
By Wang Wei

The Hills are empty, no man is seen,
But the sound of people's voices
As light is cast into the deep forest,
And shines again on green moss.