Flood, or: Brown death

My 1^st lushi

Reinterpreting ‘Flood’ by T’ao Chien

Brown clouded sky, broiling, broiling.
Hot gusting sands, hurling, hurling.
Khamsin consuming in all directions.
Parching dust storm, whirling, whirling.
Raising waterskin to broken lips.
Death's eastern wind, unfurl, unfurling.
Desolately-I recall kind warnings.
Ignored their advice-sterling, sterling.

---

Flood

by T’ao Chien

The lingering clouds, rolling, rolling,
And the settled rain, dripping, dripping,
In the Eight Directions—the same dusk.
The level lands—one great river.
Wine I have, wine I have:
Idly I drink at the eastern window.
Longingly—I think of my friends,
 But neither boat nor carriage comes.

---

d’Verse poetics:

China – Kingdom of the Poem

The latest d’Verse poetics prompt was to select one of five classical Chinese poems and reinterpret it. Poets were instructed to either: 1) reinterpret a poem of their choice in their own styles, or 2) do a reinterpretation in the classic Chinese lushi style. I opted for lushi.

I selected the poem ‘Flood’ by T’ao Chien, a Chinese poet who is one of the best known poets of the Six Dynasties period.