Notes On Jingting Hill Poem by Shaojun Li

All our effort is nothing
to a burst of spring wind which urges flowers to bloom,
inspires birds to sing, forces all things to open,
and makes love shine.

All our effort is nothing
to a flying bird that soars in the bright sky,
returns to its nest at sunset.
We are the ones who can't return,
strayed souls with no place to go.

All our effort is nothing
to a pavilion standing in the center of Jingting hill,
a converging point of all the views, all the worshippers
gathering here like clouds.

All our effort is nothing
to a Li Bai drunken poem that brings us
together to sing and drink, to forget the difference
between ancient and modern days,
to become lost in mountains and rivers.


(transl. by Joan Xie & Sam Perkins from Chinese)