A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 01 / 102
Jiang Cheng Zi · Sleep Talk
The water pavilion, as before, shatters the sounds of spring; I long for the road home, I lift the oar and hold it crosswise; met across a thousand li — to meet again would be harder still. Lightly I paint your heart: flying catkins, snow; the flower-tidings wait, wind along the thin corridor.
At the fifth watch my steps drift, smoke and moon a blur; mist in layers, roads upon roads; do not chase what is past — young, we sat and played the sheng. I do not regret treading the waves and hearing sleep-words; your kindness was short, and it wasted a whole life.
Glossary—
Flower-tidings (huaxin): the news of flowers opening, also the season of blossoming; by extension, a woman's youth around the age of twenty;
Treading the waves (lingbo): describing a woman's light footsteps, drifting as though she walked over water.
*This is an original work. If you reproduce it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original illustrator Hehewu.