Geng Wei

Layered clouds loom dull and deep,

Silent rains in threads hang steep.

Floods drown ancient pathways bare,

Days of deluge swamp the lair.

When will crops be ripe to glean?

Few chimneys smoke in hamlets lean.

Torrents burst through gardens wide,

Rotting leaves on boughs abide.

Damp new firewood fuels dusk's fare,

Dawn's fishers shift their old haunt's lair.

Last year's chrysanthemums remain -

Lonely blooms by eastern fence plain.

Sun-glaze floats on wild waters clear,

Grass-green melts into skies austere.

Hills stand unchanged mile on mile,

Yet yearly life shifts its style.

Leisured fields beyond lone forts lie,

Scorching rains from lone clouds sigh.

My heart grieves worldly dust so deep,

No way to visit where fishers sleep.