Withering Poem by Som Thao

And so it seems as all before
The presence of winter once every year,
The pine trees shivers, to plus one age
The pigeons perch, to mourn existence

Must we old our lives away?

The teardrop that won many wars and battles
The good speech that brought together, many friends
To one day perish - like summer -

Famous literature will eventually rip
The tallest buildings will eventually fall
Will eventually rot, and lose their beauty
The knowledge of a million men
The secrets of a million books -

My lovely swan - the trumpeter kind -
The one who sat within my pond
Did not return to rendezvous
Did not return to love me more
Did not return to show her beauty