Peach blossoms in full bloom by riverside,
Cloud-like sails pass by maples far and wide.
To earn a living I have to change place,
Coming from afar, tears stream on my face.
On southern journey, old and ill I sigh;
Looking northward, I long for royal sky.
Why should I torture myself for so long?
Where is the connoisseur who knows my song?
春岸桃花水，云帆枫树林。
偷生长避地，适远更沾襟。
老病南征日，君恩北望心。
百年歌自苦，未见有知音。
The poem is both a reflection of Du Fu’s sad life and his concern for the country and the people in his later years, and a self-assessment of the poet’s self-confidence and self-conceit in his own poetry.
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
Journey through the dynasties. Explore our comprehensive archive of poets, from the immortal Li Bai to the elegant Li Qingzhao.
View All Poets →CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts.