When Heaven and Earth were first divided,
yin and yang came into union;
when human bonds were established,
husband and wife were set as the first of all relations.
Thus one man and one woman
were joined beneath a single quilt;
one heart, one intention,
pledged toward a hundred years.
I recall the beginning—
the red candles had not yet cooled,
the ritual cup was still warm in our hands;
our vows lingered by the ear,
our laughter still echoed among the beams.
We said then:
to cross the same river in one boat,
never abandoning one another through wind and rain;
to grow as twin blossoms on one stem,
finding peace through heat and cold alike.
Yet—
deep affection does not always endure to old age,
and even great fate has its ending.
Perhaps former ties were not yet resolved,
perhaps past lives still pulled at us;
the writing upon the Stone of Three Lives was faint,
yet our missteps in this dusty world ran deep.
At first, we honored one another as guests;
later, words multiplied and rifts were born.
Autumn frost slowly gathered between our brows,
and night’s chill would not leave the bed.
Before words were spoken, they wounded;
when hearts sought union, they had already scattered.
The husband’s heart found no rest,
the wife’s spirit no peace;
though facing one another day and night,
we stood as if divided by heavy mountains.
It is not that you were unkind,
nor that I was unjust;
only that our two destinies did not align,
and forced continuance bred only resentment.
Therefore,
let us not meet with hostile eyes,
nor wound with careless words;
let affection not rot into bitterness,
nor old vows sink into dust.
Here, before Heaven and Earth,
before ancestors, parents, and kin,
I declare:
the bond of paired birds is released,
each returning to their own path.
From this day onward—
you shall rearrange your cloud-like hair,
once more adorn your brows;
your steps will carry the wind,
your smile remain as before.
May you meet a worthy companion,
with whom your heart is in accord;
may you enter a harmonious household,
where zithers and strings sound as one.
May spring not fail your beauty,
nor night begrudge you peaceful sleep.
I too shall reflect upon this fate,
and trouble you no more;
each of us guarding a quiet life,
each passing the remaining years in peace.
May this parting
hold neither hatred nor grievance,
but be like autumn waters dividing,
each flowing toward distant skies.
What we once shared
I seal within my heart;
from here onward,
our paths shall not entangle.
I offer this humble letter
to speak what words remain unsaid:
One parting, two freedoms—
each to find their own joy.
Past ties are ended;
no debts remain for lives to come.
May you
be well.
BY TROY