Since you, sir, went away

[sidravitale]

[reprint of today's entry at Parenthetically Speaking]


It's poetry night here at Parenthetically Speaking.

There's a lovely poem by Hsu Kan called A Wife's Thoughts, of which the second stanza has been the basis for several others. (This is not uncommon in Chinese poetry, to write something "in the style of X".)

Since you, sir, went away,
My bright mirror is dim and untended.
My thoughts of you are like flowing water;
Will they ever have an end.

And the same volume of Chinese poetry I have that this is found in, has several of its homages in it as well.

For example,

Wang Jung,
In imitation of Hsu Kan

Since you, sir, went away,
My golden burner has had no incense,
For thinking of you I am like the bright candle,
At midnight vainly burning itself away.


So, I planted tongue in cheek and wrote one of my own.

Since you, sir, went away,
My computer has lost all free memory,
My thoughts of you are like the overworked application,
An hourglass turning constantly.


*bows to audience*