A thing of stone beside Lake Kouen-mingHas for a thousand autumns borne the nameOf the Celestial Weaver. Like that starShe shines above the waters, wonderingAt her pale loveliness. Unnumbered wavesHave broidered with green moss the marble foldsAbout her feet. Toiling eternallyThey knock the stone, like tireless shuttles pliedUpon a sounding loom. Her pearly locksResemble snow-coils on the mountain top;Her eyebrows arch -- the crescent moon. A smileLies in the opened lily of her face;And, since she breathes not, being stone, the birdsLight on her shoulders, flutter without fearAt her still breast. Immovable she standsBefore the shining mirror of her charmsAnd, gazing on their beauty, lets the yearsSlip into centuries past her. . . .

The work and its creator

Explore the original at Project Gutenberg ↗

Creator: T`ung Han-ching
Nationality / cultural background: Chinese
Work / edition: 1909 translation

Translation: L. Cranmer-Byng · English

Historical public-domain text. Selected passage; line-end whitespace normalised. No generated quotation.

In the source: The Celestial Weaver

Selected for the Brief on 6 Sep 2026. This date records our selection, rather than when the work was created.