[11] The opposite of a parting by death.
[12] The popular, but erroneous, interpretation of these two lines is:
“That I’m cast away and rejected I will not repine,
But only hope with all my heart you’re well.”
(2)
Green, green,
The grass by the river-bank.
Thick, thick,
The willow trees in the garden.
Sad, sad,
The lady in the tower.
White, white,
Sitting at the casement window.
Fair, fair,
Her red-powdered face.
Small, small,
She puts out her pale hand.
Once she was a dancing-house girl.
Now she is a wandering man’s wife.
The wandering man went, but did not return.
It is hard alone to keep an empty bed.
(3)
Green, green,
The cypress on the mound.
Firm, firm,
The boulder in the stream.
Man’s life lived within this world,
Is like the sojourning of a hurried traveller.
A cup of wine together will make us glad,
And a little friendship is no little matter.
Yoking my chariot I urge my stubborn horses.
I wander about in the streets of Wan and Lo.
In Lo Town how fine everything is!
The “Caps and Belts”[13] go seeking each other out.
The great boulevards are intersected by lanes,
Wherein are the town-houses of Royal Dukes.
The two palaces stare at each other from afar,
The twin gates rise a hundred feet.
By prolonging the feast let us keep our hearts gay,
And leave no room for sadness to creep in.
[13] High officers.