Monday, March 8, 2010

The Two Swallows

This is a translation of the Chinese poem - 'Swallows' (燕詩) from Po Chu-i (白居易) , (772 - 846) :

Under the beam live two swallows,
a happy, joyous and blissful couple.
Together a love nest that they build,
and give birth to four sweet little fellows.
Days and nights the four babies grow,
chirping to beg for food to swallow.
Worms are hard to catch and find,
but young mouths seem never satisfied.
Though torn and worn the bodies are,
willing and capable still in parent's minds.
Despite dozen times flying to and fro,
yet fear kids in nest still with hunger and in trouble.
So tirelessly they work, and work, and work,
and unknowingly a month's already come and go.
The children slowly get taller and stronger,
while thinner and weaker becomes the couple.
Muttering to teach the kids to speak,
the two brush their young feathers each by each.
Once the wings get into full strengths,
the two lead them flying in court bit by bit.
Now freely they fly higher and farther,
without looking back to their father and mother.
With the wind they're finally gone,
scattering everywhere and everywhere.
The couple shouts loud and hard to the skies,
calling each by their names but no one replies.
Nothing can they do but back to their empty nest,
sobbing into the whole night in sorrow and in tears.
Birdie. Birdie. Don't you cry.
You should reflect and come to realize.
When once you were kids, you did fly,
leaving parents behind with their broken minds.
What your parents saw the other day,
was exactly and truly what you are seeing in front of your eyes.

To all the children of the world!

No comments:

Post a Comment