Living

Sleeplessness

by Po Chü-i 772–846

Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng (1909) · From A Lute of Jade (1909)

Living

I cannot rest when the cool is gone from June,
But haunt the dim verandah till the moon
Fades from the dawn’s pursuit.
The stirrup-fires beneath the terrace flare;
Over the star-domed court a low, sad air
Roams from a hidden lute.

This endless heat doth urge me to extremes;
Yet cool of autumn waits till the wild goose screams
In the track of whirling skies.
My hand is laid upon the cup once more,
And of the red-gold vintage I implore
The sleep that night denies.

MLA

Chü-i, Po. “Sleeplessness.” Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/po-chu-i/118/.

Chicago

Chü-i, Po. “Sleeplessness.” Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/po-chu-i/118/.

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