The sparrow
Sings like a song
In a dance of life
Between the light
 
And she moves closer
As a shadow, a flicker
Mixed with the green
Of a willow tree
 
The fog rolls in
Until the air is full
Of her breath, lain dormant
Upon my neck
 
And my skin awakes
As dawn begins to break

Around the building throughout the day,
These joyful guests convene on beams
With songs that carry auspicious signs,
Arriving through the curtained screens.
 
Sunset guides them down to town for rest,
But dawn will draw them to the river streams,
Until they reach the swans assembled together,
Watching them soar, as in a phoenix dream.
 
 
Original Chinese poem by Li Jiao