Here are the rewritten versions of the three poems from The Poets by the English writer, Edward Spedding:
Suzhou's Poets: The First Three Works
- “A Visit to Spring’s Days”
A day after spring begins, it ends. A time arrives when it fades away.
A city is built on a hilltop, A road leads up to a mountain peak.
For the people of the city, The people of the country are waiting, The people of the land are enjoying.
Their thoughts are settled in silence, They exchange their thoughts with words, They look at their lives and do not dwell, Or they hold onto their thoughts,
Their hopes for future days, Do not reach a place where they can see clearly, But in their hearts, their lives They search for meaning.
Suzhou's Poets: The Second Three Works
- “A Visit to Spring’s Days”
Returning home from the south, He visits the mountains and valleys, From the mountains he sees the valleys,
The people of the city see the land through the sky. He returns from the east, And in the mountains, he sees the land.
The people of the country look up To their ancestors as they stand high.
For him, It is a happy life to watch it unfold, But for his family and his people,
They can’t find their place, No matter what happens, No one will leave them alone.
Suzhou's Poets: The Third Three Works
- “Hunting in Spring’s Days”
When spring arrives, It is bright and full of life. The people of the city, they go, And see the mountains through their streets,
For him, A day with no end and no beginning.
He spends his days in the mountains, His family lives in towns as well.
They can’t find their way home, They keep moving forward, No one stops them from crossing rivers.
Suzhou's Poets: The Fourth Three Works
- “A Visit to Spring’s Days”
He travels all over the world, But when he returns from his east, He finds a man there who is as tall as him.
For the people of the country, They are interested in him as well. When they meet, they talk about their lives,
When he talks, they talk about his life, As long as their lives are fine.
Suzhou's Poets: The Fifth Three Works
- “The First Three Works”
For a day when the sun shines high and bright, And the moon sleeps low in its place.
In the mountains where there is no snow, They have ice for their feet.
The people of the country go into the mountains, They see the valleys below them.
The mountains are steep and hard, The peaks are tall and broad,
For him, it is a difficult life to live. No one can save or make it good.
Suzhou's Poets: The Sixth Three Works
- “A Visit to Spring’s Days”
They call their mountain friends By the name of “Tiananmen.”
They go and see the people as they come, And give them names as well.
The people of the mountains, they go to, The people of the valleys, they go too.
Their homes are so old and unkind, But they keep doing what they did,
They can’t find their way home, No one will stop them from leaving.
Suzhou's Poets: The Seventh Three Works
- “Hunting in Spring’s Days”
He spends his days in the mountains, The people of the mountains he visits, They are rich and happy, they talk.
For him, a day without end and no beginning,
When he talks to them, he speaks Of their lives as well.
Each poem is now translated into English while preserving its original meaning, structure, and tone. Each piece follows the formatting rules provided, using
tags for each section.
