possibly by Mei Cheng (d. c140 BCE)
Translation by Arthur Waley (1889 - 1969)

The bright moon, oh, how white it shines
Language: English  after the Chinese (中文) 
The bright moon, oh, how white it shines,
Shines down on the gauze curtains of my bed.
Racked by sorrow I toss and cannot sleep.
Picking up my clothes, I wander up and down.
My absent love says that he is happy,
But I would rather he said he was coming back.
Out in the courtyard I stand hesitating, alone.
To whom can I tell the sad thoughts I think?
Staring before me I enter my room again;
Falling tears wet my mantle and robe.

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Confirmed with Arthur Waley, A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, London: Constable, 1918.


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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2022-08-08
Line count: 10
Word count: 85