by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Helen Jane Waddell (1889 - 1965)
The moon is shining on this borderland
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
The moon is shining on this borderland , Just as it will be shining on Lung-t’ow. The sea is very quiet on the sand ; I wonder what the folk are doing now. The wild geese settle with the same old cry , The moonlight sleeps upon the threshold stone. The millet in the field is shoulder high , And my young wife goes up the path alone.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Helen Waddel, Lyrics from the Chinese, New York : Houghton Mifflin Company, 1919, p.38
Text Authorship:
- by Helen Jane Waddell (1889 - 1965), no title, subtitle: "Written under the T ’ ang dyn asty", appears in Lyrics from the Chinese, no. 34 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist [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 Phyllis Batchelor (1915 - 1999), no title, copyright © 2018 [ voice, flute and piano ], from Lyrics from the Chinese ; 8 settings of ancient lyrics, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2025-04-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 67