A Tale of Twin Graves for Two Sisters 

​

Choe Chiwon

Whose daughters are buried in these two abandoned graves,

and how many times have they resented spring from the desolate underworld? 

Their images linger in vain in the moon reflected on the stream;

but one can hardly ask the dust on their tombs to speak their names.

Fair ladies, if we could meet, even just in our deepest dreams,

what would be the harm if you comforted a stranger during a long night? 

If we could enjoy the clouds and rain in my lonely official residence

I would write and dedicate a Nymph of the Luo River to you.

Sister Pal

The spirits of the dead rely on lonely graves 

to diminish the bitterness of parting,

but peach-blossom cheeks and willow-leaf eyebrows still hold spring within.

It is difficult to find the way to the Three Holy Mountains on the wings of a crane 

and my Phoenix hairpin is covered in dust, useless in the land of the dead.

When I was living, I was terribly shy with strangers,

but today I think I might flirt with a man I do not know.

I am deeply embarrassed to convey my thoughts through a poem;

I await your response with bowed head and aching heart. 

Sister Gu

What passerby would pay attention to a roadside grave;

the bird-adorned dressing table and duck-embroidered beddings

are only collecting dust.

It is the rule of heaven that we are born and die only once,

and now that flowers are blooming and withering, 

it is spring again in the world of the living. 

Always wanting to abandon the earth like the Woman of Qin,

I never learned to flirt like Empress Dowager Chinu.

Today, I dream of sharing carnal pleasure with King Qingxiang,

but a thousand thoughts are disordered in my mind.

Sister Gu

Do not think it strange that we conceal our names;

the lonely spirits of the dead are afraid of the people of the living world.

We will share our thoughts fully in due course,

but first I bid you to allow us to become friendly for a little while.

Choe Chiwon

My whim of writing on the old graves was frivolous;

who would have thought it would allow 

fairies to inquire about earthly matters?

Even Blue Plume is as elegant as a gem tree;

Red Sleeve, for sure, would bear the spring spirit nestled in jade-like trees.

Unexpectedly, you fooled an earthly stranger by hiding your names,

and now you harass a poet with your exquisite verses.

I long for nothing but to meet and laugh with you;

for this I pray to all the gods in heaven.

Choe Chiwon

A blue bird brought unexpected news

and after a moment’s thought, my tears are flowing.

If I cannot meet you, fairy-like ladies, tonight,

I shall give up the rest of my life and go underground to look for you.

Choe Chiwon

The night is as beautiful as a flower, 

and luck has given us this opportunity to become friendly, brief as it might be;

so why are you addressing the late spring with silence?

I thought you would turn out to be a Luofu 

and did not know you were really a Xi Gui.

Choe Chiwon

Golden waves fill my eyes and overflow in the vast sky;

and a thousand-li trail of worries is the same everywhere. 

Sister Pal

The moon travels without losing its old path,

and the cinnamon flowers have bloomed without waiting for the spring breeze.

Sister Gu

The full moon shines more whitely after midnight,

and the thought of parting is heartbreaking beneath its steady gaze.

Choe Chiwon

When the white light of dawn spreads, the silk curtain is lifted;

and where the bright light shines, it cuts a pearl from a window.

Sister Pal

It breaks my heart to part so far from the world of humans;

my lonely sleep in the underworld is long and endless.

Sister Gu

I was always envious of Chang’e resourcefulness;

she escaped the ladies’ quarters and arrived at the palace of the immortals.

Choe Chiwon

For the first time in five hundred years I met gentle souls,

and we enjoyed sleeping together tonight.

Please do not think it grotesque that your flower-like purity has befriended a madman;

Long ago I became an Immortal in Exile on a spring wind.

Sister Pal

The Great Dipper has made a full circle as the water clock runs out,

and tears are flowing at the thought of having to say goodbye.

This heartache will last for a thousand years 

and we will never find midnight joy again.

Sister Gu

My red cheeks are cold against the window of the waning moon,

and my jade eyebrows frown as the wind of daybreak flutters my clothes.

Every step of parting from you is heartache;

the rain has scattered and the clouds have dispersed,

and now it is difficult even to enter a dream.

Sister Gu

If by some chance you pass by this place again

I beg you to please look after our desolate graves.