Crows Calling At Night

Crows Calling At Night

The days and nights become interchangeable
as clouds transition from grey to dark grey
It seems an eternity since she saw him
Fondly remembering the shared laughter
The developing closeness and intimacy
Feelings that had been an infrequent visitor
in a solitary existence had sparked her into life
Now, with him gone, the monotony has returned
The humdrum life of loneliness she wore like a drab cloak
The only sound she hears is the squawking of crows
Sitting as black robe-like mourners in the trees
Hunched in groups, cawing empathies for her loss
Her only activity, the blanket she had promised him
The endless evening hours are now filled
with the under and over movement of the shuttle
as she weaves the brightly colored threads growing with each turn
Making it with love for her paramour who may or may not return
The crows cry out, feeling her pain as she weeps into the yarn
 
 
Copyright © 2021 Christine Bolton - Poetry for Healing
All Rights Reserved

Laura Bloomsbury is hosting D'Verse Poets tonight.  She has
prompted us to choose one of five poems she shared that were
translated from the original Chinese and to reinterpret it
in out own style, keeping the original title.
I chose the following:

Crows calling at Night ~ Li baiYellow clouds beside the walls; crows roosting near.
Flying back, they caw, caw; calling in the boughs.
In the loom she weaves brocade, the Qin river girl.
Made of emerald yarn like mist, the window hides her words.
She stops the shuttle, sorrowful, and thinks of the distant man.
She stays alone in the lonely room, her tears just like the rain.“


Photo by Mahdi Dastmard on Unsplash

  34 comments for “Crows Calling At Night

  1. sanaarizvi
    April 21, 2021 at 8:25 pm

    This is gorgeously rendered, Christine 😀 I love the depth which you have added here to the poem especially; “The endless evening hours are now filled with the under and over movement of the shuttle/ as she weaves the brightly colored threads growing with each turn/Making it with love for her paramour who may or may not return.” Sigh ..💝💝

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 11:25 pm

      Thank you so much Sanaa. I’m so pleased you liked my poem. I e joyed the original a d felt there was so much more to tell ☺️💕🌺

  2. April 21, 2021 at 4:06 pm

    I love how you expanded it with details of your own… the crows feel like harbinger of sorrow and longing.

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 7:15 pm

      Thank you! I appreciate that very much ☺️

  3. April 21, 2021 at 2:47 pm

    The crows as “Sitting as black robe-like mourners in the trees” is excellent. I like this re-interpretation.

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 7:16 pm

      Thank you so much Ken ☺️

  4. April 21, 2021 at 12:04 pm

    You have captured the essence of the original but made it all your own Christine, well done!

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 7:18 pm

      Thank you very much Ingrid. I’m happy you liked it ☺️

  5. April 21, 2021 at 6:13 am

    the grey picture of loneliness, the mournful cries of the black crows and the colourful threads of the Qin river girl – you wove this so cleverly Christine

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:18 am

      Thank you Laura. I really enjoyed the Chinese poems you shared with us ☺️

      • April 22, 2021 at 6:15 am

        thanks, Christine – always on the look-out for inspiration!

  6. April 21, 2021 at 4:45 am

    Nice interpretation

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:15 am

      Thanks Ron ☺️

  7. April 21, 2021 at 4:35 am

    I love the way you expanded the translated Chinese poem into an epic poem of your own, Christine, with so much added detail gleaned from the hints in the original! I love the lines:
    ‘The humdrum life of loneliness she wore like a drab cloak
    The only sound she hears is the squawking of crows
    Sitting as black robe-like mourners in the trees’.

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:14 am

      Thank you so much Kim! I found this poem haunting and my imagination took hold! ☺️💕

  8. April 21, 2021 at 2:53 am

    The only sound she hears is the squawking of crows
    Sitting as black robe-like mourners in the trees
    Hunched is groups, cawing empathies for her loss

    Christine, I really loved your description of the crows, as well as the contrast between the black crows and colorful blanket.

    Beautiful! Thank you.

    <3
    David

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:11 am

      Thank you David. That means a lot to me ☺️💕

  9. April 21, 2021 at 12:26 am

    So well done Christine

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:10 am

      Thanks you so much Sadje ☺️

      • April 21, 2021 at 9:25 am

        You’re welcome

  10. April 21, 2021 at 12:01 am

    P.S. I hope he returns and wraps himself in that warm fabric!

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 8:02 pm

      Would that be nice for that poor, weeping girl 😢

  11. April 21, 2021 at 12:00 am

    You wove a world here, pun intended. I love the idea of the crows knowing her sorrow and cawing in empathy <3

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:10 am

      Thanks so much Lisa. That’s how I imagined the crows ☺️

      • April 21, 2021 at 1:11 pm

        🙂 <3

  12. April 20, 2021 at 11:30 pm

    Well done Christine! I lover your interpretation. This is a great line,,,
    The humdrum life of loneliness she wore like a drab cloak…

    • Christine Bolton
      April 21, 2021 at 9:09 am

      Thanks so much Dwight ☺️

      • April 21, 2021 at 9:21 am

        You are welcome!

  13. April 20, 2021 at 9:59 pm

    A well-spun tale! Lovely use of imagery.

    • Christine Bolton
      April 20, 2021 at 10:25 pm

      Thank you Dora ☺️

  14. April 20, 2021 at 9:28 pm

    This is beautiful. You’ve created quite a story!

    • Christine Bolton
      April 20, 2021 at 9:42 pm

      Thank you so much ☺️

  15. April 20, 2021 at 9:17 pm

    I enjoyed your added details, especially the line “her paramour who may or may not return” really adds some more weight to the story. So sad!!

    • Christine Bolton
      April 20, 2021 at 9:42 pm

      Thank you Tricia! I’m so happy you liked it ☺️

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