Choosing to Be Simple: Collected Poems of Tao Yuanming - Softcover

Yuanming, Tao

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1556596723 ISBN 13: 9781556596728

Publisher: Copper Canyon Press, 2023

Synopsis

Navigating the uncertainty of a divided China wracked by warfare and corruption, Tao Yuanming’s poetry—expertly translated by Red Pine—chooses the path walked by China’s ancient sages, finding joy in living a simple life.  

The latest work in Red Pine’s rich career of translation, Choosing to be Simple: Collected Poems of Tao Yuanming, is a definitive portrait of the early Chinese politician and poet. Thoroughly researched and beautifully translated, this bilingual collection of over 160 verses chronicles Tao Yuanming’s path from civil servant to reclusive poet during the formative Six Dynasties period (220–589). Familiar scenes like farming and contemplating the nature of work and writing are examined with intimate honesty. As Red Pine illuminates Tao Yuanming’s sensitive voice, we find the poet’s solace and sorrow in a China transformed by modernity. 

Tao Yuanming’s distinct verse shows a keen attention to rhythm as he explores the tension of scarcity and indulgence, duty and escape. Reverberating with clarity and sincerity and laced with humor, the poems of Choosing to Be Simple portray a man’s timeless desire to live by the principles enshrined by China’s sages. Guided by Tao Yuanming’s own wonderment, we, too, find ourselves asking: “Why did I ever question my heart”? We are encouraged to find joy in simplicity—the tending of a garden, the sharing of wine with a stranger.

About this title

About the Author

About the Author

Early fifth-century poet Tao Yuanming (d. 427) was known for his love of rice wine and chrysanthemums, as well as for his disdain of official position. His hometown is Shahe, where the Tao Yuanming Memorial Hall is also located.

About the Translator

Bill Porter, under the pen name Red Pine, is the renowned translator of classic Chinese poetry. His translations have been honored with two NEA translation fellowships, a PEN Translation Prize, and the inaugural Asian Literature Award from the American Literary Translators Association. A Guggenheim Fellow, Porter also received the 2018 Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation bestowed by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. A full-length film documentary Dancing with the Dead: The Life and Times of Red Pine is forthcoming in 2023. He lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

4. Held Up at Guilin by Winds While Returning from the Capital in the Fifth Month of 400

II

People sigh about the hardships of travel 

I’m just learning about them now

about the size of mountains and rivers 

and the unexpected dangers of both

about crashing waves that echo across the sky

and relentless winds that never cease

the more I travel the more I long for home

why am I stuck where I am 

I’ve been thinking how much I love my garden 

and why haven’t I said goodbye to the world 

how long will my good years last 

And why did I ever question my heart

7.  Stopping Drinking

The place I live stops next to a village 

I wander then stop to relax

my seat stops beneath tall trees 

my steps stop inside my old gate 

my favorite smell stops at the sunflowers

my greatest joy stops with my sons

my entire life I have never stopped drinking

if I stopped I wouldn’t be happy 

if I stopped in the evening I wouldn’t sleep well

if I stopped in the morning I couldn’t get up

day after day I thought about stopping

if I stopped my circulation might suffer 

I only know stopping wouldn’t be fun

I didn’t know stopping could be beneficial 

once I realized stopping could be good

this morning I actually stopped

from now on if I can keep stopping

I’ll end up stopping on the shores of Fusang 

where unblemished looks will stop on my face

and why should I stop with a million years

Edition details

• Publisher: Copper Canyon Press
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1556596723
• ISBN 13: 9781556596728
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304