THE LETTER by Po Chu-i [A.D. 81 ]

Another gem from Po; he has such a great sense of humor and rhythm. Po wrote THE LETTER soon after becoming separated from his exhiled best friend.

THE LETTER

by Po Chu-i [A.D. 81 ]

"A knocking on the door sounded 'Doong, doong!'

They came and told me a messenger from Shang-chou
had brought a letter, a single scroll from you!

Up from my pillow I suddenly sprang out of bed
and threw on my clothes, all topsy-turvy.

I undid the knot and saw the letter within;
a single sheet with thirteen lines of writing.

At the top it told the sorrows of an exile's heart;
at the bottom it described the pains of separation.

The sorrows and pains took up so much space
There was no room left to talk about the weather! "

I excerpted this passage from "The Letter".

Reference: Waley, A. D., & Chu-I, P. (January 01, 1917). Thirty-Eight Poems by Po Chu-I. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, London Institution, 1, 1, 53-78.

Po link:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po_Chu-i