Solitude

Photo by faungg.

Solitude

Two friends, who hadn’t met in a year
sat chatting in a house. A fierce heat
stifled the room and the guest suggested
a walk by the river. The trees stood still
in the face of the autumn tiger. They sat,
weather and previous conversation forgotten,
their backs to the wide, muddy river,
and spoke passionately
of solitude.

Translated by Judith Roche.

Translator’s note: ‘Autumn tiger’ is a Chinese idiom comparable to the English ‘Indian summer’.