Classic Poem

There's no helping
Autumn colors slipping imperceptibly by.
Dusk descends on courtyard steps
Strewn with fallen petals and leaves.
Once more the Double Ninth Festival returns,
And I ascend the terrace pavilion
Letting fade the fragrance of dogwood.

Aroma of chrysanthemum wine
Wafting by the hall entrance;
Drizzling rain robed in evening mist.
Wild geese just come back
Honking drearily in the chill air.
Regrets untold — from year to year unchanging.