Kept Waiting by Po Chü-i (772-846 CE)

White billows and huge waves block the river crossing;

Wherever I go, danger and difficulty; whatever I do, failure.

Just as in my worldly career I wander and lose the road,

So when I come to the river crossing, I am stopped by contrary winds.

Of fishes and prawns sodden in the rain, the smell fills my nostrils;

With the stings of insects that come with the fog, my whole body is sore.

I am growing old, time flies, and my short span runs out,

While I sit in a boat at Chiu-k’ou, wasting ten days!

Translated by Arthur Waley

• This poem tells you how I feel when China keeps me waiting.