In Rain

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The sounds of trees rustled

And the leaves lashed – but who cares?

I whistle and sing to my heart’s content, at a leisure pace

With a bamboo staff and a pair of straw sandals

My heart is lighter than the wind

Free from fear

Being the norm in life, this misty rain

A handmade cope is enough to sustain

And the nipping cold of early spring

Brings a little chill

Only to punch up the spirit

While the twilight over the hill

Gives me a greeting most sincere

Looking back at the rainswept path I’ve come so far

There’s neither rain nor shine on my way home from now on

~ Translated by Dot, from “A Storm Pacified,” by Su Shi in the Song dynasty

(Su Shi and his friends were drenched in rain during an outing. While everybody else feeling dismayed, Su Shi felt delighted. As soon as the rain was over, he wrote down this poem.)

莫听穿林打叶声，何妨吟啸且徐行。竹杖芒鞋轻胜马，谁怕？一蓑烟雨任平生。
料峭春风吹酒醒，微冷，山头斜照却相迎。回首向来萧瑟处，归去，也无风雨也无晴。

~ 蘇軾 (宋代) <<定風波 莫聽穿林打葉聲>>

(三月七日，沙湖道中遇雨，雨具先去，同行皆狼狈，余独不觉。已而遂晴，故作此词。)

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