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Sleeplessness

by Po Chu-i · in A Lute of Jade
Translated by L. Cranmer-Byng (1909) · From A Lute of Jade (1909)

I cannot rest when the cool is gone from June,
But haunt the dim verandah till the moon
      Fades from the dawn's pursuit.
The stirrup-fires beneath the terrace flare;
Over the star-domed court a low, sad air
      Roams from a hidden lute.

This endless heat doth urge me to extremes;
Yet cool of autumn waits till the wild goose screams
      In the track of whirling skies.
My hand is laid upon the cup once more,
And of the red-gold vintage I implore
      The sleep that night denies.

This poem and this translation are in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.

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