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A Song of Adieu to the Queen of the Skies, after a dream voyage to her

Seafarers tell of the Fairy Isles.
Hid in the spray from great seas,
They are not easily sought.
Yueh people say the Queen of the Skies
Can, for brief moments,
Be seen in the light of rainbows
High in the air above Heaven’s dome
With overawing red ramparts
above the Five Peaks
On Heaven’s terrace, great leagues above,
It faces, as if it might fall, towards the south east

 

To dream my way to Wu and Yueh
I flew the other night over Mirror Lake;
Mirror Lake’s moon chased my shadow
Flew with me as far as Darting Brook.
The Palace of the good Duke Hsieh still stood
Where the green waters rushed
And the gibbons howled.

There I took the Duke’s climbing clogs for feet
For I wished to ascend his blue cloud ladder;
And from half way up I saw the Sun spring from the sea,
Heard the crow from above of Heaven’s cock

But in a thousand crags the path became unclear
And I became lost amongst wild flowers
in the cracks and crevices.
I lay down on a rock and rested.

Suddenly dark fell
Bears growled
Dragons howled
Waterfalls thundered
Affrighting the forests, aye
And the piled up peaks

 

The clouds were black, black, aye
And the rain came
The waters were still, still, aye
And making mists

Then lightning flashed
Thunder rolled
And the peaks collapsed
And the rock guarding Heavens grotto
Split in two
And there – a great blue cavern
I could not see the ground
Sun and Moon on the roof of silver and gold

 

Then with Rainbows for their raiment,
And the winds for their horses
The Cloud princesses came riding by

Then came the Queen’s tigresses
A phoenix drew her chariot
And all her fairy folk
Were like fields of flax

My spirit was elated
My senses were stirred
Awe engulfed me
And I sighed aloud

Then I awoke to find nothing
but pillow and quilt.
Lost, the vision of vapour and cloud.
And so may joy be lost
And here below, the waters in rivers
All eastward flow

And so I lost my Queen
When to return?
Upon this green hillside
I’ll keep a white deer to ride
For the time when I
Can visit your glorious peaks again.

For how can I drop my glance
Or bow my waist to the Great
Who will never let me show
My true heart and face?