Kangding

from The Last Tribe on Earth by Anthony Tao, Liane Halton

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lyrics

Kangding

On the sunside of rock and stone
sits the town of Kangding,
ancient as song and change.

On the shadowside of thunder,
woodcutters and cooks watch
dragonflies and phoenix,

ghosts and frost, maidens high
up on the clouds beneath mountain cover.
When they look down you just might die.

Let others recite their encyclicals
while we chase flanks of smoke falling
on jade and willow, cassia and prayer.

Let us recall winter plums in gauze windows,
toast the spring’s solitary moon,
and hope again to meet in dream,

water unburdened by reflection,
phantoms unbothered by light,
love untethered to tradition.

Let us run, cohere to sun,
twirl in rays of melting rain
against the sod and slope of Kangding.

Let us swoon, cohere to moon,
sink into beds of pine among shine, listening
for kingfisher and drake, wind and dawn, singing —

Lovely maid with a smile so sweet
Li the woodcutter's daughter
Zhang the blacksmith’s eldest's son
came through moonlight to court her
Moonlight shines bright
月亮彎彎
came through moonlight to court her
看上溜溜的她喲

Let us run, cohere to sun,
Let us swoon, cohere to moon,
Twirl in rays of melting rain,
sing of all that might not change —

Lovely maidens of the world
世間溜溜的女子
I cannot but love you
任我溜溜的愛喲
Gentlemen folk of the world
世間溜溜的男子
They cannot but woo you
任你溜溜的求喲

in the hills of Kangding
月亮彎彎
in the vales of Kangding
in the watchful evergreens
and purple starlit dreams

in the moonlight cresting over Kangding
in the moon’s dharma over Kangding
in the stars and moons shining
in the stars and moons that shine

~

(After “Kangding Love Song,” a famous Chinese folk song. The Chinese words are from the song, and the italicized portions, sung by Liane, are translations of the Chinese lyrics)

credits

from The Last Tribe on Earth, released March 20, 2019

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about

Anthony Tao, Liane Halton Beijing, China

LIANE HALTON graduated from Rhodes University in South Africa in classical guitar performance and composition. ANTHONY TAO is an editor and writer whose poetry has appeared in publications such as Prairie Schooner, Borderlands, The Cortland Review, Kartika Review, Frontier, Asian Cha, etc. ... more