The Girl in the Mirror
I was staying in the village
That was known as Banzhushan,
In the mountains, in the Province
That the Chinese call Hunan,
It was perched atop the mountain
You could reach, and touch the sky,
But there were no single women,
And the men up there were shy.
They were poor, could offer nothing
To entice a willing bride,
They earned little from their labours,
And their houses, poor inside,
So the girls would leave to travel
Down the mountain to the plain,
Where they'd find a richer husband
Than the farmer, sowing grain.
So the men would send out raiders
To the outskirts of the towns,
And they'd kidnap straying peasants,
All the women that they found,
And they'd target younger widows
Who would not put up a fight,
Then would carry them to Banzhushan
Protected by the night.
I had met a village elder
By the name of Zhang Fan Cheng,
He was ancient, a magician,
One the Chinese call yāorén,
He invited me to dinner,
It was simple, shoots and rice,
He was dignified and courteous,
But caught me by surprise.
In the further room, a mirror
Stood at length, both straight and tall,
The frame was wrought in silver
And it leant against the wall,
He showed it to me proudly
Then asked how much would I pay?
For just 5,000 R.M.B.
He'd sell it me, today!
I reached out to feel the silver,
Was it fake or was it real?
He sensed my hesitation
Then he motioned, ‘You be still! '
And plunged his hand into the glass
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poem by David Lewis Paget
Added by Poetry Lover
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