To the Tune of Su Mu Zhe

Zhou Bangyan

Burning eaglewood incense,
To avert the sultry summer heat;
Birds hailing the fine day
Peep out, chirping under eaves at day break.
The morning sun dries the overnight rain,
Now fresh and round over the water,
As below swaying lotus leaves rise and fall on the breeze.

My hometown is far away,
When can I go back?
My home is in Wumen, (1)
But long I've stayed in the capital. (2)
The May anglers may miss me or not,
But, in a light boat with small oars,
In my dreams I sail back to their Lotus Flower Pond.


(1)Present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
(2)Present-day Kaifeng, Henan Province.

(中国文学出版社 编)