Deep in searching for the Chang-pu,
With its bloom-flushed purple flower,
Which endows the happy finder
With immortal life and power.
Ere I come you may have found it,
And to realms where genii dwell
Winged your flight upon the dragon,
Bidding to our earth farewell.
[48] Poems similar to this one are frequently written by literary men in China when bidding farewell to a friend.
The Khwun-ming Lake
BY TU FU
In ancient times the flags of Wu[49]
Made gay the Khwun-ming Lake,[50]
On which his ships in mimic strife
The decks of foemen rake.
But now deserted is the scene,
And in the moon's pale light,
The Spinning-Maid[51] upon the shore
Sits silent in the night.
The Autumn breezes seem to move
The mammoth stony whales,[52]
And send a tremor through their frames
Vibrating all their scales.
The Ku-mi[53] seeds float on the waste,
As clouds of sombre hue;
The lotus-flowers are crushed beneath
The weight of frozen dew.