Matchless in breeding and beauty, a fine lady has taken refuge in this forsaken valley. She is of good family, she says, but her fortune has withered away; now she lives as the grass and trees. When the heartlands fell to the rebels her brothers were put to death;birth and position availed nothing--she was not even allowedto bring home their bones for burial.The world turns quickly againstthose who have had their day--fortune is a lamp-flameflickering in the wind.Her husband is a fickle fellowwho has a lovely new woman.Even the vetch-tree is more constant,folding its leaves every dusk,and mandarin ducksalways sleep with their mates.But he has eyes onlyfor his new woman's smile,and his ears are deafto his first wife's weeping.High in the mountainsspring water is clear as truth,but when it reaches the lowlandsit is muddied with rumor.Her serving-maid returnsfrom selling her pearls;she drags a creeper overto cover holes in the roof.The flowers the lady picksare not for her hair,and the handfuls of cypressare a bitter stay against hunger.Her pretty blue sleevesare too thin for the cold;as evening fallsshe leans on the tall bamboo.ENJOY MOREThe Ceylon Press publishes a range of podcasts including The History Of Sri Lanka; the off-grid Jungle Diaries podcast; Island Stories, the podcast that explores what makes Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan; the Wild Isle Podcast: Stories from Sri Lanka’s Nature; a range of complete Audio Books about Sri Lanka; as well as Poetry from The Jungle.  All these, along with eBooks, dictionaries, guides and companions can be found at www.theceylonpress.com, based at The Flame Tree Estate & Hotel in the jungle northwest of Kandy: www.flametreeestate.com.  The copyright of this podcast recording is David Swarbrick @The Ceylon Press 2025. POETRY FROM THE JUNGLE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE COPYRIGHT CREDIT: Du Fu (Chinese lived from 712. Copyright © 2008 - 2025 The National Museum of Language 

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