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摸鱼儿·雁丘词 – 元好问
By Yuan Haowen

问世间情是何物，直教生死相许。
O World! What is love? That makes these birds bond ’til death do they part.

天南地北双飞客，老翅几回寒暑。
From South to North together they flew, how many seasons have they been together?

欢乐趣，离别苦，就中更有痴儿女。
Happy together, and devastated when separated. Their devotion to each other surpasses even the most loving human couples.

君应有语，渺万里层云，千山暮雪，只影向谁去。
He must have realized only he is left to fly over those lonely thousands of miles of clouds and snowy mountains alone.

*Note: To understand this poem, you must understand the background story. While traveling to Bingzhou in 1205 AD, the poet met a hunter who told him an extraordinary story. One morning, while hunting, the hunter netted two wild geese. He killed one, but the other escaped the net. Surprisingly, the wild goose that escaped did not fly away.  Instead, he stayed to mourn the loss of his mate, and later flew up high to crash to the ground, killing himself. The hunter’s story touched the poet’s heart and inspired him to write this poem.