Ò[Translator] Red PineÕs out-of-the-mainstream work is uncanny and clearheaded.ÓÑKyoto Journal

ÒRed PineÕs succinct and informative notes for each poem are core samples of the cultural, political, and literary history of China.ÓÑAsian Reporter

Wei Ying-wu (737Ð791) is considered one of the great poets of the TÕang Dynasty, ranked alongside such poets as Tu Fu, Li Pai, and Wang Wei. Strangely, though, only a handful of Wei Ying-wuÕs poems have ever been translated into English.

True to his reputation as one of the worldÕs leading translators of Chinese, Red Pine (a.k.a. Bill Porter) translates 175 of WeiÕs poems and demonstrates why he is Òone of the worldÕs great poets.Ó Presented in a bilingual Chinese-English format, with extensive notes and an informative introduction, In Such Hard Times is a long-overdue world premiere.

A courtyard of bamboo in the snow at midnight
a lone lantern a book on my table
if I hadnÕt encountered the teachings of inaction
how else could I have gained this life of leisure

Wei Ying-wu (737-791) is considered one of the great poets of the TÕang Dynasty. Born into an aristocratic family in decline, Wei served in several government posts without distinction. He disdained the literary establishment of his day and fashioned a poetic style counter to the mainstream: one of profound simplicity centered in the natural world.

Red Pine (a.k.a. Bill Porter) is one of the worldÕs leading translators of Chinese literary and religious texts.