The Little Rain
by Tu Fu (Du Fu)
Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng (1909) · From A Lute of Jade
Oh! she is good, the little rain! and well she knows our need
Who cometh in the time of spring to aid the sun-drawn seed;
She wanders with a friendly wind through silent nights unseen,
The furrows feel her happy tears, and lo! the land is green.
Last night cloud-shadows gloomed the path that winds to my abode,
And the torches of the river-boats like angry meteors glowed.
To-day fresh colours break the soil, and butterflies take wing
Down broidered lawns all bright with pearls in the garden of the King.
This poem and this translation are in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.