Pine Valley

Chinese Poetry

A Spring Dream Tsin Tsan

While I slept, one night,
A spring breeze entered my chamber,
And my spirit floated with it, far, far away
To the borders of the river Kiang, into the
Presence of a young girl
Whose smile, one evening, had made me reel
Like a drunken man.

Brief was my dream.
When I went to sleep the moon was
Just level with the top of the almond tree.
When I woke up, it had not
Moved. One instant was enough
For me to cover the hundred leagues which
Separate me from the Kian-nan, and
From a young girl with a dangerous smile.

By the Willows from the Book of Songs

By the willows of the Eastern Gate, whose
Leaves are so thick, at dusk we were to meet;
And now the morning star is bright.

By the willows of the Eastern Gate, whose
Leaves are so close, at dusk we were to meet;
And now the morning star is pale.

On the Banks of Jo-Yeh Li Po

On the banks of Jo-Yeh, some young girls
Are gathering water lilies.
They call to each other and laughingly
Hide themselves among the bamboos.
Their lovely dresses which perfume the breeze
Are reflected in the water.

Between the willows on the bank
Some horsemen pass--one horse neighs.
His master looks about in vain on all sides,
Then goes his way.

One of the young girls drops her water lilies
And clasps fast her beating heart.

The First Full-moon Night Ou-yang Hsiu

Last year, in the First Full-moon Night,
At the Flower Market, lanterns were
As bright as day; when the moon
Came up on the top of the willows,
My love and I met after dusk.

This year, in the First Full-moon Night,
The moon and lanterns are the same as before.
But I do not see the one who
Was with me last year, and tears wet the
Sleeves of my spring gown.

The Curtain of Pearls Wang Chang-ling

Her lute in her hand,
She carelessly pushed aside the curtain
Of pearls, so that the breath of spring
Might flow into her room;
But she saw the moon, and it was
Sorrow that entered in.

Her face hidden in her folded arms
She remembers a garden, all blue
In the moonlight, where once she listened
To words of love.

Two Swallows Li Po

Two swallows, and two swallows...
Always, the swallows fly in couples. When
They see a tower of jade, or a lacquered pavilion,
One never perches there without the other.
When they find a balustrade of marble
Or a gilded window, they never separate.

Once there were two swallows...
When the girder of cedar which sheltered
Their nest took fire, the two birds sought
Refuge in a palace of the king of Wu, but
The palace of the king of Wu burned down
And the male and the little ones
Burned too. When she returned,
The female sat contemplating the ruins.

This story saddens me infinitely.