Nature

The South

by Wang Chien c. AD 830

Translated by Arthur Waley (1919) · From More Translations from the Chinese (1919)

Nature

In the southern land many birds sing;
Of towns and cities half are unwalled.
The country markets are thronged by wild tribes;
The mountain-villages bear river-names.
Poisonous mists rise from the damp sands;
Strange fires gleam through the night-rain.
And none passes but the lonely fisher of pearls.
Year by year on his way to the South Sea.

MLA

Chien, Wang. “The South.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/wang-chien/1/.

Chicago

Chien, Wang. “The South.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/wang-chien/1/.

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