Cicadas chill
And drearily shrill,
We
stand face to face at an
evening hour
Before the pavilion, after
a sudden shower.
Can I care for drinking before we part?
At the city gate
Where we’re lingering late,
But the boat is waiting for me to depart.
Hand in hand, we gaze at each other’s tearful eyes
And burst into sobs with words congealed on our lips,
I’ll go my way
Far, far away
On miles and miles of misty waves where sail the ships,
Evening clouds hang low in boundless Southern skies,
Parting lovers would grieve as of old.
How could I
stand this clear autumn day so cold!
Where shall I be found at day’s early break
From wine awake?
Moored by a riverbank planted with willow trees
Beneath the waning moon and in the morning breeze.
I’ll be gone for a year.
In vain would good times and fine scenes appear!
However gallant I am on my part,
To whom can I lay bare my heart?