spring night delighted by rain

spring night delighted by rain


the admirable rain knows its season,
coming with the spring & bringing forth life—

it follows the wind & steals into the night,
& moistens creation, delicately, without sound—

the country lanes & the clouds alike are black;
on the river the only light a boat’s lamp—

daybreak reveals a damp vermilion scene:
the heavy-laden flowers in Brocade City


Jack Hayes
© 2016
based on Du Fu: 春夜喜雨
chūn yè xĭ yŭ


Note: “Brocade City” (锦城 Jinchéng) was, & still is a common name for Chengdu. Interestingly, it has also long been known as "The City of Hibiscus" (蓉城 Róngchéng). Du Fu lived in Chengdu from 760-765, & there is a memorial park to him there, including a recreation of his thatched hut (see photo). This poem is usually dated 761.


Image links to its source on Wiki Commons
杜甫草堂里的花园 (Du Fu Thatched Hut Park) - Taken on 17 July 2005 by 江上清风1961, who makes it available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.