by tendo zenji

Waiting for Wine that Doesn’t Come

Jade winejars tied in blue silk….
What’s taking that wineseller so long?

Mountain flowers smiling, taunting me,
it’s the perfect time to sip some wine,

ladle it out beneath my east window
at dusk, wandering orioles back again.

Spring breezes and their drunken guest:
today we were meant for each other.

– Li Po, translated by David Hinton in The Selected poems of Li Po