From Nineteen Ancient Poems
(Han Dynasty)

5 

A tall tower in the northwest,  
tall as floating clouds, 
with patterned lattice windows 
and a pavilion up three flights of steps 
where strings and voices are heard, 
a sound so plaintive and bitter. 
Who could play and sing a song like this 
except the wife of Jiliang? 
Clear autumn sounds blow through the prelude, 
then the main melody shifts and varies, 
one strike then repeated phrases 
with the lingering force of grief. 
I don’t regret the singer’s sorrow, 
but mourn how few truly understand her. 
If only we were a pair of singing cranes 
beating our wings and soaring high! 

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Anonymous. “Nineteen Ancient Poems.” The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry: From Ancient to Contemporary, the Full 3000-Year Tradition. Ed. Tony Barnstone & Chou Ping. NY: Anchor Books, 2005.31.