I Am a Little Brook
Feng Zhi

I am a little brook,
Casually I flow past you,
Casually I cast your rainbow-like reflection
On the gentle waves of the current.

When I wind through a forest,
The gentle waves dance merrily,
Cutting the shadows of the green leaves
Into a dress for you.

When I wind past clusters of flowers,
The gentle waves shimmer brightly,
Weaving the shadows of the colorful flowers
Into a coronet for you.

When I at long last
Empty into the ruthless sea,
Where the wind is strong and the billows fierce,
The coronet is shattered and the dress torn to shreds.

I myself have to drift with the tide,
Wandering in the vast expanse of water;
While your image, like a rosy cloud,
Fades away as a dispersed rosy cloud does.