Song of the Palace*

                                                                by Po-Chu-Yi 

Heartbroken

hankies drenched with tears

exhausted with grief

they still cannot sleep

at the loneliest time of night

when snatches of song gust through the Palace

music throbs

walls tremble

she who is not even old

who has lost the King’s love

weeps until dawn

by damp clothes spread out to dry

by long dresses maids have laid to one side

ENVOI**

diverting attention
ripened fruit falls
caught by a mosaic floor

perfectly ripe
young women preen
she not even old wipes tiles clean

filled with remorse

a widow who sent her husband to war

to seek fame

            *translated by David Sen

            an early version published in Chapman

            Vol III, No.4 “Dick Russell” issue

            1975; Editors: Walter Perrie, Joy Hendry, R. R. Calder

            re-interpreted Dick Russell © 2014

            **copyright © Dick Russell 2014