The Khwun-ming Lake
Charles Budd translation
BY TU FU
In ancient times the flags of Wu[49] Made gay the Khwun-ming Lake,[50] On which his ships in mimic strife The decks of foemen rake. But now deserted is the scene, And in the moon's pale light, The Spinning-Maid[51] upon the shore Sits silent in the night. The Autumn breezes seem to move The mammoth stony whales,[52] And send a tremor through their frames Vibrating all their scales. The Ku-mi[53] seeds float on the waste, As clouds of sombre hue; The lotus-flowers are crushed beneath The weight of frozen dew. While from the cloud-capped Pass[54] above, The eagle's eye aglow, Sees but an aged fisherman Midst lakes and streams below.
The whole poem has a political signification implying that revolution had turned the country into a wilderness, and desolation taken the place of former prosperity and greatness.