The River-Merchant’s Lover

After Ezra Pound’s The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter,
Which was based on a translation of Li Bai’s poem “A Song of Chang Gan.”

The plum-blossom boughs hang heavy with doubt
That spring could come and go so quickly.
They sway and dip and light disperses,
Scattering shadows across your face.
The dim line of hills recedes to the west,
The swift rush of river hastens to the east.
Already you are distant, your thoughts lighting
Towards Chang Gan, the courtyard gate.

This is not a time for promises
Even if it were in your nature to give them,
Nor will I offer to wait or write
Or even watch for your return.
Just as I cannot say if I am more undone
By your presence or your absence,
By your look that is a caress
Or your hollow glance that passes me over.

If I step away from you as the blossom lifts
I will see skiffs tethered, boatmen
Making ready to depart, ropes cast loose,
The sudden motion of a slim craft
Assured, skipping out of sight
Around the first bend of the river,
Away towards Chang Feng Sha.

Author Biography

Catherine Platt arrived in Beijing from England as a language student in 1985, and her life and work have intersected with China ever since. She has degrees in East Asian Studies and Anthropology of Development. Based in Chengdu with her family since 2004, she is a freelance writer, translator, editor and consultant to non-governmental organizations.