Misadventure

Ever at the far side of the current     The fishes hurl and swim,     For pelicans and great birds     Watch and go fishing     On the bank-side.     No man dare go alone     In the dim great forest,     But if I were as strong     As the green tiger     I would go.     The holy swan on the sea     Wishes to pass over with his wings,     But I think it would be hard     To go so far.     If you are still pure,     Tell me, darling;     If you are no longer     Clear like an evening star,     You are the heart of a great tree     Eaten by insects.     Why do you lower your eyes?     Why do you not look at me?     When the blue elephant     Finds a lotus by the water-side     He takes it up and eats it.     Lemons are not sweeter than sugar.     If I had the moon at home     I would open my house wide     To the four winds of the horizon,     So that the clouds that surround her     Should escape and be shaken away.     Song of the Love Nights of Laos.