And with them, and with you especially
There was nothing at cross purpose,
And they made nothing of sea-crossing or of mountain
    crossing,
If only they could be of that fellowship,
And we all spoke out our hearts and minds, and without
    regret.    And then I was sent off to South Wei,
            smothered in laurel groves,
And you to the north of Raku-hoku,
Till we had nothing but thoughts and memories in common.    And then, when separation had come to its worst,
We met, and travelled into Sen-Go,
Through all the thirty-six folds of the turning and
    twisting waters,
Into a valley of the thousand bright flowers,
That was the first valley;
And into ten thousand valleys full of voices and
    pine-winds.
And with silver harness and reins of gold,
Out come the East of Kan foreman and his company.
And there came also the "True man" of Shi-yo to meet me,
Playing on a jewelled mouth-organ.
In the storied houses of San-Ko they gave us more Sennin
    music,
Many instruments, like the sound of young phoenix broods.
The foreman of Kan Chu, drunk, danced
        because his long sleeves wouldn't keep still
With that music-playing.
And I, wrapped in brocade, went to sleep with my head on
    his lap,
And my spirit so high it was all over the heavens,
And before the end of the day we were scattered like stars,
    or rain.
I had to be off to So, far away over the waters,
You back to your river-bridge.    And your father, who was brave as a leopard,
Was governor in Hei Shu, and put down the barbarian rabble.
And one May he had you send for me,
             despite the long distance.
And what with broken wheels and so on, I won't say it wasn't
    hard going,
Over roads twisted like sheeps' guts.

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