Folk Tales from Tibet (1906)/Some Verses from Tibetan Love-songs

SOME VERSES FROM TIBETAN LOVE-SONGS.

A woman sings to a man whose affection for her is waning:

"As a great mountain, with its cooling streams,
Nourishes the little fields far down below,
Do you, my lover, with a stream of love,
Nourish the heart of her who loves you so."

The man replies to the woman:

"When autumn chills destroy the honeyed flowers,
The bees must do without their favourite food;
So when my passion cools, and dies my love,
You should submit to this my changed mood."

A man sings to a woman:

"Up every rocky cliff some path exists,
If one can find a guide to show the way;
So to your heart some avenue must lead,
Teach me, forthwith, that path of love, I pray."

The woman replies:

"Were I inclined to grant this fruit^[1] to you,
The gift were thine—at once to-day,
But oh! I fear that lurking at your back,
Are demons red^[2] to bring me endless sorrow."

LOVE SONG.

Could I but win the maiden
For whom my heart doth pine,
I'd prize her as a jewel
From depths of ocean brine.

I'd guard her fragrant body,
Like white turquoise so rare.
My wanderings all behind me,
I'd know no earthly care.

As luscious fruit well ripened,
Hangs tempting on the tree;
So is thy beauty, maiden,
Temptation sore to me.

From longing for thy beauty,
How can I sleep at night?
By day I seek thee vainly,
My heart is tired quite.

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Printed by The Chapel River Press, Kingston, Surrey.

1. I.e., her heart. She compares her heart ripe with love to a ripe fruit.
2. Presumably she means the man's passions. She compares them to the terrific demons (red is the angry colour) of Tibetan Lamaist mythology.