I like all sorts of poetry from all sorts of cultures and times. Tang and Sung Dynasty poetry is elegant, brief , full of allusion and symobology. Seemingly simple and short verse can be a thinly disguised criticism; a reference to another classic poem; refer to a historical event or legend; or even be a mini philosophical treatise.
The poem I have selected by the Sung Dynasty poet Ch’eng Hao (1032-1085) is a bit more straight forward, but has some nice imagery in it:
Visting Crescent Pond
We circle the shore of Crescent Pond
to the north is a tower that touches the sky
the world has changed in the autumn air
we pour a cup for the evening chill
the image of a cloud pauses on the water
the sound of a stream lingers beneath the trees
our tasks are endless there’s no need to count
let’s meet again our next day off
Ch’eng Hao Poems of the Masters 205, (trans.) Pine, R. (2003) Washington: Copper Canyon Press, pp. 422-423
