Friday Night Poetry

Here's another old Chinese poem (ca. 100 B.C. to 100 A.D.) on the fate of either a soldier or government official wandering on official orders far from home; I'm inclined to think it's a soldier for various reasons. The author is unknown. Translations of the poem vary widely; this is a variation on a Arthur Waley translation.


Life-Parting


On and on, always on and on
Away from you, parted by a life-parting.
Going from one another ten thousand miles,
Each in a far corner of the world.
The way between us is hard and long,
Face to face how shall we meet again?
The Tartar horse is swift on the north wind,
The bird from Yue nests on the southern branch.
Since we parted the time is already long,
Daily my clothes hang looser from my waist.
On and on, the clouds obscure the white sun,
The wandering one has forgotten home.
Thinking of you has made me old,
The years and sorrow running to their close.
I've been cast away in the shifting winds;
Better to hope that you eat your rice and thrive.