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Lunar Eclipse
by Mei Yao-ch’en (1002-1060)A maid comes running into the house
talking about things beyond belief,about the sky all turned to blue glass,
the moon to a crystal of black quartz.It rose a full ten parts round tonight,
but now it’s just a bare sliver of light.My wife hurries off to fry roundcakes,
and my son starts banging on mirrors:it’s awfully shallow thinking, I know,
but that urge to restore is beautiful.The night deepens. The moon emerges,
then goes on shepherding stars west.translated from the Chinese by David Hinton
From Mountain Home: The Wilderness
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