in Just - Spring

At the End of Spring

Po Chu-i

The flower of the pear-tree gathers and turns to fruit;
swallows' eggs have hatched into young birds.
When the Seasons' changes thus confront the mind,
what comfort can the Doctrine of Tao give?
It will teach me to watch the days and months fly
without grieving that Youth slips away;
if the fleeting world is but a long dream,
it does not matter whether one is young or old.
But ever since the day that my friend left my side
and has lived an exile in the City of Chiang-ling,
there is one wish I cannot quite destroy:
that from time to time we may chance to meet again.


白居易