Lament of a Soldier’s Wife
Come! I will ask thee,
Wild geese of the sky,
Of the autumn field in Cathay’s land
Where in his grave my beloved lies.
My only love on this earth,
I shall see no more;
Where he lies buried, I know not.
How, indeed, can I call myself his wife?
A Woman’s Lament
(Composed for a lady to be sent to her cruel husband)
“Surely he will come tonight,”
So saying I watched many a night
Pale to dawn without having met my love.
Drawing my child close to my breast,
I weep.
Like to a wreath of smoke
Untouched by winds,
How shall I curb my love
That rushes with singleness of purpose
To you, its goal?
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