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The Songs 101 When you come it does not always mean that you bring me a letter. I will be exactly like him. I will write no letter either. Now, fly back to that fickle creature! Song 30 The Passionate Geese The passionate geese fly in pairs to the south. o geese! Why do you fly so far away on the autumn wind? On river and lake the goose and gander have always their mate, but My lover has jilted me. He is now alone, a forlorn shadow living in distant parts. The wind is fierce; his garments are thin; I have no way of sending more to him; The winter garments I made for him lie now in my empty room. Every day I strain my eyes until the sun sets; and my sorrows multiply. I see nothing but a fence of drooping willows ending in the long dyke. I have seen a whip-like shadow of a man in the evening there. Many a time I thought it was my lover coming home to me - but I was wrong. Ah me! I begin to think ... That you have become besotted by the red-dust [i.e. the vanities] of this earthy world.84 Perhaps when the clouds are held back, and the winds are stilled, there will be a time for us to meet. Song 31 (Part 1) The Region of Mist and Flowers The region of mist and flowers [i.e. the houses of entertainment] - my heart rebels at the very thought of it.85 84 See Song 40, line 2. 85 See Songs 31 (Part 2); 35 (Part 2), line 2; 35 (Part 3), line 14. The Songs 101 When you come it does not always mean that you bring me a letter. I will be exactly like him. I will write no letter either. Now, fly back to that fickle creature! Song 30 The Passionate Geese The passionate geese fly in pairs to the south. o geese! Why do you fly so far away on the autumn wind? On river and lake the goose and gander have always their mate, but My lover has jilted me. He is now alone, a forlorn shadow living in distant parts. The wind is fierce; his garments are thin; I have no way of sending more to him; The winter garments I made for him lie now in my empty room. Every day I strain my eyes until the sun sets; and my sorrows multiply. I see nothing but a fence of drooping willows ending in the long dyke. I have seen a whip-like shadow of a man in the evening there. Many a time I thought it was my lover coming home to me - but I was wrong. Ah me! I begin to think ... That you have become besotted by the red-dust [i.e. the vanities] of this earthy world.84 Perhaps when the clouds are held back, and the winds are stilled, there will be a time for us to meet. Song 31 (Part 1) The Region of Mist and Flowers The region of mist and flowers [i.e. the houses of entertainment] - my heart rebels at the very thought of it.85 84 See Song 40, line 2. 85 See Songs 31 (Part 2); 35 (Part 2), line 2; 35 (Part 3), line 14. 102 Cantonese Love Songs How can I tell the story of my middle-age love to anyone? If a kindly fate had intended me to be an immortal, I would not have been planted here; But having been wrongly planted here, I am hoping for some change. Today I have tasted to the full the flowers and the willows [i.e. life as a courtesan]; the wind and the waves [i.e. the vicissitudes of life]. Moreover, if the pleasure fields dry up, the stem more easily withers. Since my fate is as frail as a flower, I secretly grieve, because When age creeps on and flowers die, I must find some support for myself. Ah me! When flowers wither, I hope someone will bury these flowers. But that does not happen often.S6 If only when I was in full bloom he had been sympathetic! This is what people say: 'Don't let the wedding day slip by'. Remember that if a person does not graduate when he is young, he will find it far more difficult to graduate when he is older. Moreover, when autumn comes, flowers will...

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