Far away twinkles the Herd-boy star; Brightly shines the Lady of the Han River. Slender, slender she plies her white fingers. Click, click go the wheels of her spinning-loom. At the end of the day she has not finished her task; Her bitter tears fall like streaming rain. The Han River runs shallow and clear; Set between them, how short a space! But the river water will not let them pass, Gazing at each other but never able to speak.
About the headline (FAQ)
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Arthur Waley, A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, London: Constable, 1918.
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Waley (1889 - 1969), no title, appears in A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, in Seventeen Old Poems, no. 9 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) possibly by Mei Cheng (d. c140 BCE) [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in Finnish (Suomi), adapted by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Seppo Nummi.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2025-04-30
Line count: 10
Word count: 80