Du Fu: Second Year of the Reign, All Year Dwelt in the Gansu Prefecture

Second Year of the Reign. All Year Dwelt in the Gansu Prefecture, Now Compose This Song: Seven Poems

乾 元 中 寓 居 同 谷 县 作 歌： 七 首

有 客 有 客 字 子 美
白 头 乱 发 垂 过 耳。
岁 拾 橡 栗 随 狙 公
天 寒 日 暮 山 谷 里。

中 呼 无 书 归 不 得
手 脚 冻 皴 皮 肉 死。
鸣 呼 一 歌 兮 歌 已 哀
悲 风 为 我 从 天 来！

Qian Yuan Zhong Yu Ju Tong Gu Xian Zuo Ge: Qi Shou

You ke you ke zi zi mei
Bai tou luan fa chui guo er.
Sui shi xiang li sui ju gong
Tian han ri mu shan gu li.

Zhong yuan wu shu gui bu de
Shou jiao dong cun pi rou si.
Ming hu yi ge xi ge yi ai
Bei feng wei wo cong tian lai!

Second Year of the Reign. All Year Dwelt in the Gansu Prefecture, Now Compose This Song: Seven Poems

Du Fu is a stranded visitor
Disordered white hair hangs below my ears.
All year follow a worker’s monkey to find and glean acorns and chestnuts
Frozen sky at sunset, still inside mountain valleys.

Primary family members have sent no letters, do not know of survivors
Chapped and cracked frozen limbs, skin and flesh dead.
Alas! This one song already full of sorrow and grief
Melancholy winds follow me from heaven to here!