Wu Tsao (c.1850) translated by Kenneth Rexroth and Ling Chung

[silverflurry.livejournal.com]

For the Courtesan Chi'ing Lin

On your slender body
Your jade and coral girdle ornaments shine
Like those of a celestial companion
Come from the Green Jade City of Heaven.
One smile from you when we meet,
And I become speechless and forget every word.
For too long you have gathered flowers,
And leaned against bamboos,
Your green sleeves growing cold,
In your deserted valley:
I can visualize you all alone,
A girl harboring her cryptic thoughts.

You glow like a perfumed lamp
In the gathering shadows.
We play wine games
And recite each other's poems.
The you sing "Remembering South of the River"
With it's heartbreaking verses. Then
We paint each other's beautiful eyebrows.
I want to posess you completely
Your jade body
And your promised heart.
It is spring.
Vast mists cover the Five Lakes.
My dear, let me buy a red painted boat
and carry you away.