In the Mao-ling tomb lies the lad named Liu,
Guest of the autumn wind.
At night we hear his whinnying horse —
At dawn not a hoof-print there.
From painted balustrades, the cassia trees
Cast down autumnal fragrance.
Over six-and-thirty palaces grow
Emerald earth-flowers.
The courtiers of Wei harnessed their chariots
To travel a thousand leagues.
The vinegar wind from the eastern passes
Arrowed their eyes.
Vainly bearing the moon of Han
I went out of the palace gates.
Remembering the emperor, my pure tears
Dropped down like molten lead.
Withering orchids bade them farewell
On the Hsian-yang road.
If God could suffer as we do
God too would grow old.
Bearing my dew-plate, I journeyed alone
By the light of the cold, wild moon,
Already Wei-cheng lay far behind
And its waters faintly calling.
(Li Ho)
More Poetry from Li Ho:
Li Ho Poems based on Topics: Night, Autumn, Light, Guest, God- Let's Drink Wine (Li Ho Poems)
- General (Li Ho Poems)
- The King of Ch'in Drinks Wine (Li Ho Poems)
- Ballad of the Savage Tiger (Li Ho Poems)
- Li Ping at the Vertical Harp (Li Ho Poems)
- That the Days Are So Short (Li Ho Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: God Poems, Night Poems, Light Poems, Autumn Poems, Guest PoemsBased on Keywords: whinnying, balustrades, liu, arrowed, hoof-print, mao-ling, six-and-thirty