Long Partings Poems

Poems about Butterflies and Bees



Flight
by Michael R. Burch

It is the nature of loveliness to vanish
as butterfly wings, batting against nothingness
seek transcendence...



Album
by Michael R. Burch

I caress them—trapped in brittle cellophane—
and I see how young they were,...

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Chinese Poets: English Translations

These are modern English translations of poems by some of the greatest Chinese poets of all time, including Du Fu, Huang O, Li Bai, Li Ching-jau, Li Qingzhao, Po Chu-I, Tzu Yeh,...

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RED SEA

At the mouth I lay splayed
blood trickling, slowly dripping into soft mud or red Akashic ink
             mud of my anus, ink of...

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Li Bai translations

These are my modern English translations of Chinese poems by Li Bai, also known as Li Po.



Zazen on Ching-t’ing Mountain
by Li Bai
translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Now the birds have deserted the sky
and the...

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Chinese Translations III

Quiet Night Thoughts
by Li Bai aka Li Po
translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Moonlight illuminates my bed
as frost brightens the ground.
Lifting my eyes, the moon allures.
Lowering my eyes, I long for home.


The Solitude of Night
by...

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I will start with using my hand as a guide
And in the end I will open my eyes that I will decide

I consider to do this with one thing in mind
I will close my eyes...

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You will untie knots from your chain, with trembling hands whistling in the wind,
And you will be unstrung, in turn, from someone's necklace, like an exiled pearl.
Often, partings dress in mute garments, sleeping in the...

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As the rooster crows:   

A look in the pool mirrored  a perfect mop
At times of frizzy hair or defiant shaggy tresses
Ohhh the satisfaction at the sight 
And yabba, dabba, doo!! echoed loud...

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As the rooster crows:
 
A look in the pool mirrored a perfect mop
At times of frizzy hair or defiant shaggy tresses
Ohhh the satisfaction at the sight 
And yabba, dabba, doo!! echoed loud and clear
Triumphant male...

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the times that were together shared
	the times for each the other cared

a moment there a minute here
	immortal days of boundless cheer

golden hours of trading dreams
	joyful eyes with happy gleams

a trusting and attentive ear
	for griefs alone...

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You could say that life is a lot of leavings, departures, waving goodbyes, saying goodbye-regretting that you didn’t say I love you enough times or the last thing you did say to someone was a...

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Winter's Perfect Heat 


“Snowflakes gather in crystalline drfitings”

Lifting your hair, kissing the nape of your neck
Warm flesh waits on tippy toe desires
Lips brush skin, lower beyond silver chain clasp
Sighs slip past moon shadow echoes

“Frost bitten...

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Winter’s Passion’d Heat 
 

“Snowflakes gather in crystalline drfitings”

Lifting your hair, kissing the nape of your neck
Warm flesh waits on tippy toe desires
Lips brush skin, lower beyond silver chain clasp
Sighs slip past moon shadow echoes

“Frost...

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Glitter glue laced ticker tape....

Of colourful confetti covering such sight

More and more, their eyes dipped in tars

Infectious quills, beneath these softened feathers

Penetrating, their own fatalities cryptograms....

As they aimlessly blend a colludeds pretentious purpose?

Bending this times...

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To many, Shadowfire 
A new home 
Yet for a few, 
Castle Heartstone 
Was the place to be 

Lost in mist and magic 
Castle Heartstone will always remain 
To some, a fond memory 
To others, a...

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Rusty leaves dance in the wind, carrying whispers of time that flows ceaselessly,
And I, a traveler on life's road, feel how each autumn brings me closer to my last autumn,
Like a cosmic clock ticking gently...

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Oh, how I find sorrow in a twilight
A sky is drawn vast, with artistic flair
With bands of coral crown and florid silk
Sinking low on distant horizon
A bright torch of sad partings...wilting away
Swiftly a world ...

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~
Impatient, are the waters, that ripple in the stream
Taking no notice of one all alone
They continue to flow, to swirl, twist and turn
They pay no attention, think nothing of me
As I sit here to ponder,...

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Hell-and-gone, my dreams are the bane of angels
          Crimped with light, yet ceded to swim in shadows
         ...

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i have seen the pale horse
unmask your face
color it white
till you blended with him
like a blank stare of the moon

his hooves beat in a heart
where silence now falls
as a gossamery wind
caught my breath
beneath the still...

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I will never be ready even though you signal your leaving
I foolishly keep the bright days since so much yet needs sharing
of long partings after our intense then rare meetings
of wild childhood stories and unfathomable...

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The Power of a Hug and Kiss
is great beyond belief!
They can be used, to congratulate,
they can comfort, when there’s grief!

Misery, woe, and sadness,
can be replaced with bliss.
Sorrowful times, can be less painful,
with a gentle hug...

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I won't say goodbye, it's a word that implies, something now is ending,
And I'm too full of endings, to want that extra load.
Instead, I'll think evening has come, a night must now pass.
Yet with the...

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If I were immortal I’d wish to be
An Earth angel who sets those in chains free
I’d enter every evil person’s heart 
Putting a stop to wars before they start.

If I were immortal no one would...

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I will watch their winged endurance, on the crest of autumn's eve,
without knowing where or distance, but in faith they must believe
As the harsh breath sounds of winter are calling geese to leave
I will hear...

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