Living
A Gentle Wind
Translated by Arthur Waley (1918) · From A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems (1918)
A gentle wind fans the calm night:
A bright moon shines on the high tower.
A voice whispers, but no one answers when I call:
A shadow stirs, but no one comes when I beckon.
The kitchen-man brings in a dish of lentils:
Wine is there, but I do not fill my cup.
Contentment with poverty is Fortune’s best gift:
Riches and Honour are the handmaids of Disaster.
Though gold and gems by the world are sought and prized,
To me they seem no more than weeds or chaff.
Cite this poem
MLA
Hsüan, Fu. “A Gentle Wind.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/fu-hsuan/0/.
Chicago
Hsüan, Fu. “A Gentle Wind.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/fu-hsuan/0/.
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