bourbon kisses
she said that night
in her doorway
just one more thing
to miss
about you
and a heart
already broken
cracked once more
partings
from a line by Su T’ung-p’o
in a life
full of partings
watch
me go
saying farewell
this last stroll
along the shore
eating ice cream
from Ali Usta
saying farewell
till seasons change
and miles melt
away
Poem Composed on Horseback and Sent to Tzu-you after Parting at the West Gate of Chengchou on the Nineteenth Day of the Eleventh Month by Su Tung-p’o
Why do I feel drunk without drinking
my heart is following your saddle horse
your thoughts are already with our father
but how shall I deal with this loneliness of mine
climbing above the ramparts between us
all I see is your bobbing black hat
the weather is so cold and your robe so thin
and you’re riding that nag beneath a waning moon
“On the road people sing at home they’re happy”
offered my attendant seeing me so sad
of course I know life is full of partings
what bothers me is how fast it’s passing
remember when we faced that sputtering lamp
listening to the wind that rain-filled night
that is something I know you won’t forget
don’t fall in love with a government career
translated by Red Pine
the hard part
is saying
goodbye
when
hello
is all
you want
to say
from Water Sifting Sand: No. 4 by Po Chü-i
A day will no doubt come when dust flies at the bottom of seas,
and how can mountaintops avoid the transformation to gravel?
Young lovers may part, a man leaving, setting out on some boat,
but who can say they’ll never come together again one day?
translated by David Hinton
Seeing Off Quartermaster Yuan Returning to Kwangling by Wei Ying-wu
With office work slack I can slip away
we like our goodbyes sweet
there’s nothing left where you grew up
you’re going home to another place
the full moon above mountains of Ch’u
the midnight bell in the land of Huai
where will your lone boat anchor
it’s so far my heart turns away
translated by Red Pine
Leonard Durso 