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In days gone by, I oft beheld you
At Lord Qi’s manor and Cuijiu Hall too.
Where sounds so fine and melodies so bright,
Enchanted all who heard your artful might.
The loveliest season in Jiangnan now blooms,
Where petals dance and fragrance fills the rooms.
Oh, how I long to bask in these perfumed blooms,
And bask once more in your melodic tune.
This poem was probably written in 770 A.D. (the fifth year of the Dali calendar) when Du Fu was in Changsha. After the Anshi Rebellion, Du Fu wandered to the south of the Yangtze River and reunited with the wandering court singer Li Guinian. He recalled the frequent meeting and listening to songs in the mansions of King Qi and Cui Jiu, and wrote this poem with emotion.
岐王宅裏尋常見，崔九堂前幾度聞。
正是江南好風景，落花時節又逢君。
Du Fu (February 12, 712-770), courtesy name Zimei, nicknamed Shaoling Yelao, No. 1 Duling Yeke and Duling Buyi, was a realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. His works are famous for their grand social realism. The Du Fu family is a branch of the Jingzhao Du family. During the Tang Dynasty, the Jingzhao Du family called themselves Duling people. He used to be Zuo Shiyi and Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Inspection and Engineering, and later lived in seclusion in Chengdu Thatched Cottage, known as Du Suyi, Du Gongbu, Du Shaoling and Du Thatched Cottage in the world.
Image: MidJourney/DALL-E 2