Distinguished State Wu's Capital Has Been From Of Yore Poem by East Sea Fairy Xing Yi

By LIU-Yong Translated by East-sea Fairy

As the capital of State Wu, city Suzhou,
has been distinguished from ancient times to the present.
I remember that when I toured here long ago
when I lived in Chang-an, Wei-an. I heard of a story that passes current
on till today. It tells that when sending the fairone Xi-shi to this place as a double agent,
Fan-li, the counselor of State Yue, swore a promise.
He promised that he would take her to boat all of the lakes under the firmament
after State Yue beat its enemy State Wu with prowess
and bigness.

Even today,
a myriad of beauties still come to this grassy island
to tour and play,
and collect kingfishers' feathers to make accessories great and grand.
The most enchanting thing is that when I scan the picturesque landscape of the southland
after the evening mist has thinned into thinness,
I find that in the bamboo groves by the ferry of yore, near the river strand,
the two or three hovels in oneness
slowly come to be visible with clearness.