The Going Away

Li Shang Yin

two adaptations of a stanza by Li Shang Yin. On leaving China

Getting to know is hard; leaving seems so easy.
The East wind blows; all the young buds wither.
A spring worm must spin sorrow as it dies;
A candle gutters tears because it burns.

Getting to know is hard; having to go is harder.
The East wind fails, and all the flowers fade.
The dead worm spring spins silken thread--
Guts drawn, then cut asunder.
Life's a guttering candle, then the dark.
I do not cry; I am too dry for tears.

- Stephen K. Roney