Su Dongpo drinking with a stranger April 16, 2010

I read this poem recently and thought I’d take a shot at translating it.  It has probably one of the best (and longest) titles that I’ve ever seen on a poem in any language.

The title is usually abbreviated “Staying alone in Weishi during a blizzard,” but the full title is “Staying alone in Weishi during a blizzard, a stranger entered the post-house and invited me to drink; we got very drunk, and at dawn he rode off to the south – I never learned who he was.”

The old post-house is empty; snow fills the courtyard.
A stranger, braving the snow, rides in from the north.
The snowflakes collected on his bamboo hat are over an inch deep;
His face is dark and ashen as he dismounts and enters the hall.
In the bitter cold, I have wine which I cannot drink;
Seeing him, what need is there for us to be acquainted?
I pour the wine slowly, not filling my cup;
My guest throws back his glass, not leaving a drop behind.
Everyone’s doors are closed for the day, and there are no travelers on the road.
Laughing and talking together, we do not notice nightfall.
Drunk, I still do not ask his name;
Mounting his horse, he suddenly rides off, waving his short whip.