Poem of the Week 8/12/2009: Untitled Love Poem V

Untitled Love Poem V

Heavy curtains hang in the house
of the Woman of No Sorrows

lying in bed
feeling the long night's passing

a whole life in the arms of a goddess?
that was nothing but a dream

no lover has ever entered
the house of the Little Maid

indifferent waves and winds
punish the water chesnut

only dew and moonlight
can sweeten the cassia leaves

love is a total waste of time
you and I know that

but there's something about its madness
that opens the eyes and clears the mind!

Li Shang-Yin
trans. David Young

Poem of the Week 8/12/2009: Triolet

Triolet*

I used to think all poets were Byronic--
Mad, bad and dangerous to know.
And then I met a few. Yes it's ironic--
I used to think all poets were Byronic.
They're mostly wicked as a ginless tonic
And wild as pension plans. Not long ago
I used to think all poets were Byronic--
Mad, bad and dangerous to know.

Wendy Cope


" (thank you Wikipedia)
A triolet (pronounced /ˈtraɪ.əlɨt/ or US: /ˌtriː.əˈleɪ/) is a one stanza poem of eight lines. Its rhyme scheme is ABaAabAB and often all lines are in iambic tetrameter: the first, fourth and seventh lines are identical, as are the second and final lines, thereby making the initial and final couplets identical as well.

Poem of the Week 8/5/2009: Waking Up Drunk on a Spring Day

Waking Up Drunk On A Spring Day

Life is a huge dream
why work so hard?

all day long I drink
lying outside the front door

awakening
looking up through the trees
in the garden

and one bird singing in the flowers

bird, what season is this?
"Spring! I'm a mango bird
and the spring wind makes me sing."

now I grow sad
very sad

so I have some more wine
and I sing
out loud
until the bright moon
rises

what was I upset about?
I can't remember

Li Po
trans. David Young


I would really love to hear what you all think about this poem--why does Li Po get sad? Who is this character speaking in the poem? Is there a symbolic meaning to the drunken-ness?

Comment, feel free!