NPM #2 – To Tzu-an

Parting, a thousand cups won’t wash away the sorrow.
Separation is a hundred knots I can’t untie.

After a thaw, orchids bloom, spring returns,
Willows catch on pleasure boats again.

We meet and part, like the clouds, never fixed.
I’ve learned that love is like the river.

We won’t meet again this spring,
But I can’t rest yet, winesick in Jade Tower.

Yu Xuanji (translated by Geoffrey Waters)

Yu Xuanji was a Chinese poet who lived in the 9th century. During her life she was a courtesan, nun, and poet. Much of her life is unknown, but she died young and left behind several beautiful poems.