803 – 852 · The Elegant Historian
Du Mu
杜牧
A brilliant prose stylist whose quatrains turn a spring street or a rainy festival into a meditation on empire and time.
In this edition
5 poems
39Seven-character quatrain
山行
Walking in the Mountains
Du Mu 杜牧
远上寒山石径斜·白云生处有人家
Up the cold mountain the stone path slants;
40Seven-character quatrain
清明
Qingming
Du Mu 杜牧
清明时节雨纷纷·路上行人欲断魂
In the season of Qingming the rain falls and falls;
41Seven-character quatrain
泊秦淮
Mooring on the Qinhuai
Du Mu 杜牧
烟笼寒水月笼沙·夜泊秦淮近酒家
Mist wraps the cold water, the moon wraps the sand;
42Seven-character quatrain
江南春
Spring in the South
Du Mu 杜牧
千里莺啼绿映红·水村山郭酒旗风
A thousand li of orioles, green set against red;
43Seven-character quatrain
秋夕
Autumn Evening
Du Mu 杜牧
银烛秋光冷画屏·轻罗小扇扑流萤
A silver candle, autumn light, a cold painted screen;