I have always been a little off,
so driven by love of well-made verse,
pursuing that word of startling rightness,
I'd sooner die than rest.
In my reckless old age,
my words and I overwhelm each other.
So you needn't fear, birds and flowers,
for the secrets of your spring.
Just now, I've put in a pier
to dangle a fishing line from.
Before, I was angling from an anchored raft
in place of a boat.
Who could I get with the mind of a master
like Tao or Xie
to help out with my writing
and wander the nearby world with me?
--Du Fu, my tr.
Posted this before. Now I've reworked the first three lines.
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