Jade Butterfly

No rain nor clouds in sight,Silent on rails I leanTo see off late autumn serene.Lonely in the evening twilight,Even the ancient poet would feel sad and cold.The water rippled by the breeze,The duckweed gradually grows old.The dew shed by the moon would freezeAnd yellow waft the plane-tree leaves.How longing grieves!Where is now my old friend?Far and wide mist and waves extend.

Can I forgetThe verse-composing and wine-drinking when we met?How many moonlit nights were passed in vain?How often stars and frost have changed again?The sky is wide, the sea is far,I cannot go to River Xiao Xiang where you are.A pair of swallows fly.Could they bring me a letter from you?I point to evening sky.To what avail returns the sail I knew?At dusk I gaze far, far awayUntil I hear no more wild geese’s song.I stand there longUntil the sun has shed all its departing ray.