University of Virginia Library


125

Page 125

[OMITTED]

85. THE LOTUS GATHERER

On the river margin of Jo-yeh she is gathering the lotus;
She talks to her companions and laughs among the lilies.
The clear sunlit water reflects her gay attire,
And her perfumed sleeves flap lightly in the wind.
But who are these cavaliers on the bank?
By twos, by threes, they glint through the drooping willows;
Their horses neigh among the blown flowers, and are gone.
She sees and lingers with an anguish in her heart.
 

The Jo-yeh River is in Chehkiang, and flows into Ching Hu, or the Mirror Lake.