A Pair of Swallows | Swallows, two by two,—always two by two

by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762)

Translation by Shigeyoshi Obata (1888 - 1971), as Shigeyoshi Ob Ata

雙燕離

Language: Chinese (中文)

雙燕復雙燕，
雙飛令人羨。
玉樓珠閣不獨棲，
金窗繡戶長相見。
柏梁失火去，
因入吳王宮。
吳宮又焚蕩，
雛盡巢亦空。
憔悴一身在，
孀雌憶故雄。
雙飛難再得，
傷我寸心中。

Confirmed with Peng Dingqiu 彭定求 (ed.), Quan Tang shi 全唐詩 (Complete Tang Poems), Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1985. 163.1690.

Text Authorship:

by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762), "雙燕離" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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 Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955) ; composed by Marie Marjori Hajary.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Shigeyoshi Obata) , "A Pair of Swallows"

Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2025-11-25
Line count: 12
Word count: 12

A Pair of Swallows

Language: English after the Chinese (中文)

Swallows, two by two,—always two by two.
A pair of swallows are an envy for man.
Such a pair lived together once in a jeweled palace & tower.
Long they lived together by the gilded window with silken curtains.
Then fire swept the royal tower.
The swallows entered the Palace of Wu and made their nest.
But once more fire burned the palace down.
Burned away the swallow nest and all the younglings.
Only did the mother bird escape death; she is worn with grief.
Poor lonely swallow, she longs for her mate that is dead.
Never again, can the two fly together.
And that pierces my little heart with sadness.

Confirmed with Shigeyoshi Ob Ata, The works of Li-Po; The Chinese Poet, London : J. M. Dent & Sons, 1923, p.60

Text Authorship:

by Shigeyoshi Obata (1888 - 1971), as Shigeyoshi Ob Ata, "A Pair of Swallows" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

a text in Chinese (中文) by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762), "雙燕離"
- Go to the text page.

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 ]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2025-10-01
Line count: 12
Word count: 111