earth day is always such a depressing day. we actually need a day to remember that we're polluting ourselves into oblivion. and like a day of conscientousness is gonna do anything. after we plant our trees today to rest our consciences, we can go back to our blissfully ignorant, wasteful existence the remaining 364 days...ugh

http://www.myfootprint.org

so instead of writing my giant final paper that's due tomorrow, i am sitting in the library reading li bai and du fu. i rediscovered yesterday the beauty of old chinese poetry, but it's so awkward when translated into english.

All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other -
Only the mountain and I.
-translated li bai


Amidst the flowers a jug of wine,
I pour alone lacking companionship.
So raising the cup I invite the Moon,
Then turn to my shadow which makes three of us.
Because the Moon does not know how to drink,
My shadow merely follows the movement of my body.
The moon has brought the shadow to keep me company a while,
The practice of mirth should keep pace with spring.
I start a song and the moon begins to reel,
I rise and dance and the shadow moves grotesquely.
While I'm still conscious let's rejoice with one another,
After I'm drunk let each one go his way.
Let us bind ourselves for ever for passionless journeyings.
Let us swear to meet again far in the Milky Way
-translated li bai


definitely lost a lot of its original beauty through translation, but it's still readable i suppose. ugh it sounds terrible in english...hey at least i'm doing something productive - i'm brushing up on my chinese. so there.