Nature
Song of the Snapped Willow
Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell (1921) · From Fir-Flower Tablets (1921)
When he mounted his horse, he did not take his leather riding-whip;
He pulled down and snapped off the branch of a willow-tree.
When he dismounted, he blew into his horizontal flute,
And it was as though the fierce grief of his departure would destroy the traveller.
Codex Note
Anonymous, Liang Dynasty (A.D. 502-557), as in the Contents of Fir-Flower Tablets; "written during the Liang Dynasty".
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Classical Chinese). “Song of the Snapped Willow.” Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/classical-chinese-anonymous/19/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Classical Chinese). “Song of the Snapped Willow.” Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/classical-chinese-anonymous/19/.
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