A Pair of Swallows

Swallows, two by two,—always two by two.
A pair of swallows are an envy for man.
Such a pair lived together once in a jeweled palace-tower.
Long they lived together by the gilded window with silken curtains.

Then fire swept the royal tower.
The swallows entered the Palace of Wu and made their nest.
But once more fire burned the palace down.
Burned away the swallow nest and all the younglings.
Only did the mother bird escape death; she is worn with grief.
Poor lonely swallow, she longs for her mate that is dead.
Never again, can the two fly together.
And that pierces my little heart with sadness.