The Mind

Spring Rhapsodies: III. Sorrow

by Li Po 701–762

Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng (1916) · From A Feast of Lanterns (1916)

The Mind

Dawn reddens in the wake of night; but the days
of our life return not.
Sweet-scented orchids blot out the path; but
they die in the drift of waters and their
flowers are blotted out.
The Yang-tse-Kiang splashes through shelving
maple-woods.
The eye contains a far horizon, but the wound of
spring lies deep in the heart.
O Poet! turn thee to the Capital—to the men
who shall make thee forget.
Surely, the Earth-sorrow for the passing of spring
from her quiet places is overwhelming.

MLA

Po, Li. “Spring Rhapsodies: III. Sorrow.” Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/li-po/138/.

Chicago

Po, Li. “Spring Rhapsodies: III. Sorrow.” Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/li-po/138/.

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