I sometimes post quotes and poetry here on Karavansara – I love Chinese poetry, and sometimes it feels nice to share some ancient poem on these pages, as some kind of intermission.

This is from Du Fu, a Tang Dynasty poet and one of the all-time greats. He has been called a poet-sage, and compared to a slew of Western authors, from Ovid to Beaudelaire.

This is a fine Autumn piece that fits the fleeting, early fogs I’m seeing from my window, and these nights.

Enjoy!

Passing The Night At Headquarters

Clear autumn at headquarters,
wu-tung trees cold beside the well;
I spend the night alone in the river city,
using up all of the candles.
Sad bugle notes sound through the long night
as I talk to myself;
glorious moon hanging in mid-sky
but who looks?
The endless dust-storm of troubles
cuts off news and letters;
the frontier passes are perilous,
travel nearly impossible.
I have already suffered ten years,
ten years of turmoil and hardship;
now I am forced to accept a perch
on this one peaceful branch.

And if you know what a wu-tung tree looks like, please let me know in the comments below.