Thoughts of the rich and famous

Turns out the most successful politicians spend all their time worrying about how successful they are

Feelings (1)
Zhang Jiuling

The bugleweed spices the spring,
And moon-bright osmanthus will perfume the autumn,
This happy, exuberant life,
Can naturally make for a flourishing season.
If visitors walk in the wood,
They may sit and enjoy the sweet forest air,
But know this: each plant has its purpose,
Which is not to be plucked for a pretty girl’s hair.

张九龄  感遇·其一
兰叶春葳蕤，桂华秋皎洁。
欣欣此生意，自尔为佳节。
谁知林栖者，闻风坐相悦。
草木有本心，何求美人折。

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Zhang Jiuling (673–740) was one of the winners among the Tang poets: he made it to the top of the greasy pole, serving as chancellor for Emperor Xuanzong. However, his feelings were mainly resentment that he wasn't being given the top job by the emperor, and most of the poems in this series feature him being a beautiful flower and sighing a lot. This series of twelve poems becomes somewhat tedious as a result, so I've chosen three particularly fine verses to translate. (1) and (7) are classics of the complaint genre; (5) is a more interesting account of an out-of-body experience. 

In this first entry in the series, the pretty flowers are men of talent; the pretty girl is the emperor. Zhang Jiuling strenuously claims that he is not just there to be picked at the emperor's pleasure. Meanwhile, he eagerly awaited appointment to the emperor's retinue.