Poem after poem paying tribute
to a dear friend
a younger brother or a fellow
seeker of such truths as might be found
in the secluded temples
buddhist daoist
he loved to visit
riding at times on horseback
from his ancestral home
and of other truths he found
reflected in the wildness
the beauty of the mountains
the many rivers
whose names like gems
are scattered through his poems
all the places where he sought
and often found
refuge from the dust of cities
the civic duties
which also were his life
and everywhere his words
are there to celebrate the human bonds
he held in such profound regard
that every parting
was marked with grief and poetry
and every festival
observed with sorrow
for his absent friends
and loved ones
it's no wonder he himself found such regard
such deep affection
from his contemporaries
fellow poets such as Li Taibo
who declared him universally admired
for his refinement
his eaygoing charm
and now after another thousand years
and more I too praise Master Meng
whose four-line poem
of blossoms lost - but how many?
in last night's storm
are still found on the lips
of every Chinese schoolchild
and remembered by their parents
the names of emperors
and statesmen are forgotten but a poet
such as he stands tall
a beacon in our darkness