by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762)
Translation by Shigeyoshi Obata (1888 - 1971)
The silk spinner
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
Up the river by the White King City, The water swells and the wind is high. It is May. Through the Chu-tang gorge Who dares to sail down to me now — Down to Ching-chow, where the barley is ripe And the silk worms have made their cocoons — Where I sit and spin, with my thoughts of you Endless as the silken strands? The cuckoo calls high up in the air. Ah, me!
Confirmed with Shigeyoshi Obata, The Works of Li-Po, the Chinese poet ;: done into English verse by Shigeyoshi Obata, London : Dent, 1923, p.105; The White King City is in Ssuchuan. The Chu-tang gorge, situated near Wushan in the same province, is one of the most dangerous spots in the Yangtze kiang. Further down the river and in Hupeh, Ching-chow is located, where the silk spinner awaits her lover.
Text Authorship:
- by Shigeyoshi Obata (1888 - 1971), "The silk spinner", appears in Li Po, the Chinese poet, done into English verse [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762), "羽州歌" [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Phyllis Campbell (1891 - 1974), "The silk spinner", copyright © 2018 [ voice and piano ], from Three poems by Li-Po, no. 1, Wirripang Pty Ltd [sung text not yet checked]
- by Lucile Cummins (d. 1975), "The silk spinner", 1960 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-04-17
Line count: 9
Word count: 74