by Tu Fu (712 - 770)
Translation by Herbert Allen Giles (1845 - 1935)

Ssŭ‑Ma Hsiang‑Ju
Language: English  after the Chinese (中文) 
'Twas here, from sickness sore oppressed, 
He found relief on Wên-chün's breast; 
'Twas here the vulgar tavern lay 
On mountain cloud-capped night and day. 
And still mid flowers and leaves I trace 
Her fluttering robe, her tender face; 
But ah! the phoenix calls in vain, 
Such mate shall not be seen again.

Confirmed with Chinese Poetry in English Verse by Herbert Giles, London: Bernard Quaritch; Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, Ltd., 1898, p. 84.


Text Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in French (Français), a translation by Henri Pierre Roché (1879 - 1959) , first published 1907 ENG ; composed by Georges Auric, Ferdinand Barlow.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2014-02-08
Line count: 8
Word count: 52