Fox Footprints/Legend

by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth

For works with similar titles, see Legend.

Legend

It is not the wind in the young leaves,It is not the stream whispering in the darkness,But the mats are stirred by dancing feetAnd the air moves with the lisp of brocade.The lanterns are lit in the lonely roomAnd the incense is fragrant on the shelf of the Buddha.Outside the blue snow covers the mountainsAnd the hydrangea bushes rap against the shoji like weary ghosts—

But within there is only a girl dancing before the tablet of her loverThat his spirit may still take its pleasure in her beauty.