When he does not come, she bitterly
suggests
that he is as
afraid of the little stream as though it were the Yellow River, the
largest river in China.
afraid of the little stream as though it were the Yellow River, the
largest river in China.
Waley - 170 Chinese Poems
Words stick: she does not manage to say anything:
She presses her hands together and hesitates.
Agitates moon-like fan--sheds pearl-like tears--
Realizes she loves him just as much as ever:
That her present pain will never come to an end.
PEOPLE HIDE THEIR LOVE
By Wu-ti
Who says
That it's by my desire,
This separation, this living so far from you?
My dress still smells of the lavender you gave:
My hand still holds the letter that you sent.
Round my waist I wear a double sash:
I dream that it binds us both with a same-heart knot.
Did not you know that people hide their love,
Like a flower that seems too precious to be picked?
THE FERRY
By the Emperor Ch'ien W? n-ti, of the Liang dynasty, who reigned
during the year A. D. 500.
Of marsh-mallows my boat is made,
The ropes are lily-roots.
The pole-star is athwart the sky:
The moon sinks low.
It's at the ferry I'm plucking lilies.
But it might be the Yellow River--
So afraid you seem of the wind and waves,
So long you tarry at the crossing. [40]
[40] A lady is waiting for her lover at the ferry which crosses a small
stream.
When he does not come, she bitterly suggests that he is as
afraid of the little stream as though it were the Yellow River, the
largest river in China.
THE WATERS OF LUNG-T'OU
(THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER)
By Hsu Ling (A. D. 507-583)
The road that I came by mounts eight thousand feet:
The river that I crossed hangs a hundred fathoms.
The brambles so thick that in summer one cannot pass!
The snow so high that in winter one cannot climb!
With branches that interlace Lung Valley is dark:
Against cliffs that tower one's voice beats and echoes.
I turn my head, and it seems only a dream
That I ever lived in the streets of Hsien-yang.
FLOWERS AND MOONLIGHT ON THE SPRING RIVER
By Yang-ti (605-617), emperor of the Sui dynasty
The evening river is level and motionless--
The spring colours just open to their full.
Suddenly a wave carries the moon[41] away
And the tidal water comes with its freight of stars. [41]
[41] _I. e. _, the reflection in the water.
TCHIREK SONG
Altun (486-566 A. D. ) was a Tartar employed by the Chinese in
drilling their troops "after the manner of the Huns.
