39: Midnight Four Season Songs: Spring, Li Bai

Taking a cue from Max's series of four Zhang Jiuling poems (starting here), I'm starting a series of four by Li Bai. There's a whole lot going on here, from big new themes like the Tang frontier and female-voice poems by men, to some fascinating references to folks like Xi Shi and Ziye (her original work here). Hopefully I'll also get into some of the settings of these as well, and describe places like Yumen Guan and Chang'an. Now, poetry:

Midnight Four Season Songs: Spring

In Qin the young girl Luofu

gathering mulberry at grassy water's edge.

White hands on dark green stalks,

Red ornaments flashing in the bright day.

The silkworms hunger, the lady yearning to go.

Of five horses departing, none will leave a trace.

子夜四時歌：春歌，李白

秦地羅敷女，採桑綠水邊。

素手青條上，紅妝白日鮮。

蠶飢妾欲去，五馬莫留連。

Qín dì luófū nǚ，cǎisāng lǜshuǐ biān.

Sùshǒu qīng tiáo shàng，hóngzhuāng báirì xiān

Cán jī qiè yù qù，wǔ mǎ mò liúlián.