by Li-Tai-Po (701 - 762)
Translation by Shigeyoshi Obata (1888 - 1971), as Shigeyoshi Ob Ata

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


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Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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  • Also set in French (Français), a translation by Franz Toussaint (1879 - 1955) ; composed by Marie Marjori Hajary.

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