LI FU-JEN
by: Wu-ti (157-87 B.C.)
- HE sound of her silk skirt has
stopped.
- On the marble pavement dust grows.
- Her empty room is cold and still.
- Fallen leaves are piled against the doors.
- Longing for that lovely lady
- How can I bring my aching heart to rest?
'Li Fu-jen' was written by Wu-ti,
sixth emperor of the Han dynasty, when his mistress, Li Fu-jen
died. Unable to bear his grief, he sent for wizards from all
parts of China, hoping that they would be able to put him into
communication with her spirit. This English translation by Arthur
Waley is reprinted from One Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems.
Trans. Arthur Waley. London: Constable and Co. Ltd, 1918. |
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