Tired, sleepless on my pillow
worried all night long

the windows are still dark
no sign of dawn

in this lonely village
one dog barks all night

the moon wanes
few people on the roads

my thinning hair
has turned bright white

my years of travel have taught me
how to be homesick

out in the empty fields
spinster cicades are buzzing

nothing to show for their labor
nothing accomplished.

translated by Jiann I. Lin & David Young