by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Helen Jane Waddell (1889 - 1965)
The K'e still ripples to its banks
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
The K'e still ripples to its banks, The moorfowl cry. My hair was gathered in a knot, And you came by. Selling of silks you were, a lad Not of our kin; You passed at sunset on the road From far-off Ts'in. The frogs were croaking in the dusk; The grass was wet. We talked together, and I laughed; I hear it yet. I thought that I would be your wife; I had your word. And so I took the road with you, And crossed the ford. I do not know when first it was Your eyes looked cold. But all this was three years ago, And I am old.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Helen Jane Waddell, Lyrics from the Chinese , Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1913, pages 21-22.
Text Authorship:
- by Helen Jane Waddell (1889 - 1965), no title, appears in Lyrics from the Chinese, first published 1913 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , first published 718 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):
- by Celius Dougherty (1902 - 1986), "The K'e" [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 110