Anonymous (8th–9th century)
Tune: “Magpie on the Branch”
I can’t stand the wily magpie and all his extravagant stories!
He brings me good news, but what proof does he ever have?
One of these times when he flies by, I’ll grab him, capture him live,
shut him up in a golden cage to put a stop to his chatter!
With the best of intentions I went to her, delivered my good news—
who’d have thought she’d shut me up in a golden cage?
I only hope her soldiering husband comes home soon
so she’ll lift me up, turn me loose to head for the blue clouds!
Translated by Burton Watson
Approximately five hundred lyrics, mostly dating to the tenth century or somewhat earlier, were discovered at Tun-huang (see selection 214). Except for three or four known T’ang poets, all are anonymous, but in some cases the names of the singers were given. The Tun-huang lyrics include a total of sixty-nine different tune titles. They are extremely important for understanding the early history of lyric meters.