White billows and huge waves block the river crossing; <br />Wherever I go, danger and difficulty; whatever I do, failure. <br />Just as in my worldly career I wander and lose the road, <br />So when I come to the river crossing, I am stopped by contrary winds. <br />Of fishes and prawns sodden in the rain, the smell fills my nostrils; <br />With the stings of insects that come with the fog, my whole body is sore. <br />I am growing old, time flies, and my short span runs out, <br />While I sit in a boat at Chiu-k’ou, wasting ten days!<br /><br />Bai Juyi<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/kept-waiting-2/
