<DIV><p>&ldquo;[Translator] Red Pine&rsquo;s out-of-the-mainstream work is uncanny and clearheaded.&rdquo;&mdash;<I>Kyoto Journal</I></p> <p>&ldquo;Red Pine&rsquo;s succinct and informative notes for each poem are core samples of the cultural, political, and literary history of China.&rdquo;&mdash;<I>Asian Reporter</I></p> <p>Wei Ying-wu (737&ndash;791) is considered one of the great poets of the T&rsquo;ang Dynasty, ranked alongside such poets as Tu Fu, Li Pai, and Wang Wei. Strangely, though, only a handful of Wei Ying-wu&rsquo;s poems have ever been translated into English.</p> <p>True to his reputation as one of the world&rsquo;s leading translators of Chinese, Red Pine (a.k.a. Bill Porter) translates 175 of Wei&rsquo;s poems and demonstrates why he is &ldquo;one of the world&rsquo;s great poets.&rdquo; Presented in a bilingual Chinese-English format, with extensive notes and an informative introduction, <I>In Such Hard Times</I> is a long-overdue world premiere.</p> <p><I>A courtyard of bamboo in the snow at midnight</I><BR><I>a lone lantern a book on my table</I><BR><I>if I hadn&rsquo;t encountered the teachings of inaction</I><BR><I>how else could I have gained this life of leisure</I></p> <p><B>Wei Ying-wu</B> (737-791) is considered one of the great poets of the T&rsquo;ang Dynasty. Born into an aristocratic family in decline, Wei served in several government posts without distinction. He disdained the literary establishment of his day and fashioned a poetic style counter to the mainstream: one of profound simplicity centered in the natural world.</p> <p><B>Red Pine</B> (a.k.a. Bill Porter) is one of the world&rsquo;s leading translators of Chinese literary and religious texts.</p></DIV>