wind on the lake

wind on the lake
(to the tune of “complaint against the prince”)
 
wind descends on the lake: waves swell into the distance;
autumn, & already dusk:
vermilion is rare & but a few fragrances—
the vivid water, the mountains’ color, like someone dear to me:
there are no words for it
this endless fondness

lotus seed cups already ripe: lotus leaves wither,
purified with clear dew—
duckweed  swirls: rushes skirt the shoal;
dozing on sand the gulls & herons don’t even turn their heads—
it seems they too feel bitter about
the one who departed so early


Jack Hayes
© 2016
based on Li Qingzhao: 怨王孙
yuàn wáng sūn

For more information on Li Qingzhao (Wade-Giles: Li Ch'ing-Chao), see brittanica.com, Wikipedia, & stanford.edu

Image links to its source on Wiki Commons:
“Rinse Jade Spring beside Li Qingzhao Memorial in Jinan”: Photo by Wiki Media user Gisling, who makes it available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.