he's no han-shan of basho---but i love his records

I'm both surprised and gladdened by the inclusion of Li Po. A few years ago i discovered the classic ancient Chinese poets of the Tang dynasty- Po Chu-i and Tu Fu were the other 2 most famous masters of the period-.The translated verse is totally accessible,beautifully descriptive of Chinese landscapes(for which i've long had a fascination-),of nature and the simple pleasures in life and sometimes of wistful longing and reminiscence.I would recommend them unresevedly to any fellow poetry lover.Just a few small tasters; "In the days when my hair first fell over my forehead/And in play i plucked flowers before the door/You came riding to me on a bamboo horse./Throwing blue plums.....Before the door i gaze where your parting feet have trodden./Little by little the green moss has brushed them away./Already the leaves are falling in the Autumn wind./In the eighth month the butterflies come..." (from The River Merchant's Wife)."I feel dim and wistful yearnings to be in Chang An/In Autumn when the crickets sing by the parapet of the golden well/And the light frost makes one shiver and the bamboo mats are cold".."The grasses of Yen are tender as green silk,/The mulberries of Chin bow beneath their leaves." If these appeal,or you like the subject matter :The Moon in the mountain pass,A Farewell at the Chin Ling wine shop,The Road to Szechwan,Drinking alone under the moon,Spring Thoughts... then you will surely come to share the lasting,growing happiness the verse has given me.It never fails to lift my spirits.