Nature

In Deep Thought, Gazing at the Moon

by Li Po 701–762

Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell (1921) · From Fir-Flower Tablets (1921)

Nature

The clear spring reflects the thin, wide-spreading pine-tree--
And for how many thousand, thousand years?
No one knows.
The late Autumn moon shivers along the little water ripples,
The brilliance of it flows in through the window.
Before it I sit for a long time absent-mindedly chanting,
Thinking of my friend--
What deep thoughts!
There is no way to see him. How then can we speak together?
Joy is dead. Sorrow is the heart of man.

MLA

Po, Li. “In Deep Thought, Gazing at the Moon.” Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/li-po/124/.

Chicago

Po, Li. “In Deep Thought, Gazing at the Moon.” Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/li-po/124/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Li Po