Absurdity
(By Gu Long)
- To the foolish me and the clever fox
The things I have encountered are far more bizarre than the most absurd dreams,
On a windy night, I met you in a place without wind;
Your shadow, like smoke, scattered and gathered on the window,
The faint moonlight penetrated your heavy palace silk robe.
Since then, I no longer hear the sound of my loud reading in the study at midnight,
All that remains is our gentle scolding, shallow laughter, soft murmurs;
A year later, you suddenly asked me why I was always drunk,
I smiled, only because I lacked the courage to tell you.
I dream that you can give me a sword to slay the traitors at will,
I yearn for wisdom as vast as the sea and wealth as high as the mountains;
Day and night, all I hope for is for you to grant me power and happiness,
Because I am already familiar with those absurd stories from Liao Zhai.
I have forgotten that your love is my greatest happiness,
And I have forgotten the loneliness and sorrow when there is no love;
One day, you smiled and threw a wishful ring to me,
Telling me that it can bring me what I desire in my dreams.
I ecstatically tested whether it truly possesses such magic,
But you had already sneered and disappeared in the silver mist;
So I gained wisdom and wealth but lost you,
And now, every night, I can only weep in front of my lonely shadow.
Last night, in the sound of rain, I woke up from dreaming of you again,
I dreamt of you floating in colorful clouds with feathered robes;
But you only gave me a cold glance and flew away on the clouds,
I can only hate myself for not cherishing love enough.