Selected Poems of Du Fu (English-Chinese Edition): Zhao Yanchun’s Rhymed Translation with Annotations

This is not a complete translation of Du Fu’s 1,400 poems, and it is not a plain prose rendering that prioritizes literal accuracy over sound. It is a selected bilingual edition of Du Fu’s representative works, translated by Zhao Yanchun with a deliberate commitment to “translating poetry as poetry.” The English aims to carry the rhyme, rhythm, and formal shape of the original—not just the meaning—so that when you read a line, you hear something that feels like a poem, not a gloss. Zhao has previously translated the Book of Songs, the Dao De Jing, the Analects, and Zhuangzi, and he brings the same “preserve the original’s form” principle to Du Fu. Annotations accompany the translations to help with cultural references. If you want to encounter Du Fu in English verse that tries to sound like poetry—rather than read a scholarly crib or a complete prose translation—this is it.