Our love was pure As the snow on the mountains: White as a moon Between the clouds -- They're telling me Your thoughts are double That's why I've come To break it off. To-day we'll drink A cup of wine. To-morrow we'll part Beside the Canal: Walking about Beside the Canal, Where its branches divide East and west. Alas and alas, And again alas. So must a girl Cry when she's married, If she find not a man Of single heart, Who will not leave her Till her hair is white.
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Confirmed with A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, Translated by Arthur Waley, London, Constable and Company Ltd., 1918, pages 50-51.Note: the poem is preceded by this explanation:
Ssŭ-ma Hsiang-ju was a young poet who had lost his position at court owing to ill-health. One day Cho Wēn-chün, a rich manâs daughter, heard him singing at a feast given by her father. She eloped with him that night, and they set up a wine-shop together. After a time Hsiang-ju became famous as a poet, but his character was marred by love of money. He sold love-poems, which the ladies of the palace sent to the emperor in order to win his favour. Finally, he gave presents to the "ladies of Mo-ling," hoping to secure a concubine. It was this step that induced his mistress, Cho Wēn-chün, to write the following poem.
Text Authorship:
- by Arthur Waley (1889 - 1969), "Song of snow-white heads", first published 1918 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Cho Wēn-chün [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 Ernst Bacon (1898 - 1990), "Song of snow-white heads", alternate title: "Parting", published 1952 [ medium voice and piano ], from Quiet Airs, no. 10 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2013-12-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 90