The swordsman and the princess

#chinese #traditional #ballad She rode in plain blue silk With ash on her brow A name folded tight In the sleeve of her gown The river took her south Past fields of new wheat And no one bowed to her At the market street He leaned by the teahouse door With a sword in reed wrap A scar by his jaw And a hat pulled back He laughed at the dice Then watched every hand Like a man who had buried A louder life than the land When the cups hit the floor And the bandits came in He moved like a shadow Then the room went still She saw him draw steel He saw her unmask Two secrets struck sparks In the dust and the glass Lanterns and steel You and me Under the veil We were never free Lanterns and steel Heart to heart We stopped a war Before it could start Tables broke hard As the teahouse shook He cut down the thugs With one backward look She kicked off her heel And took one man blind Then bound up his wrist With her ribbon of twine At the hilltop gate Where the generals waited He told them the truth She stood unshaded A princess in plain cloth A swordsman in chains Both carrying more Than a blade or a name They saw blood on the road They saw smoke in the wheat Heard mothers in courtyards Go silent for weeks She lifted her seal He lowered his sword And the hungry old drums Went quiet once more Lanterns and steel You and me Under the veil We were never free Lanterns and steel Heart to heart We stopped a war Before it could start That night by the lake He gave back her ring She said, "Stay by my side" He said, "I will sing Your true name in spring When the plum trees bloom" And the moon on the water Made one silver room Lanterns and steel You and me Under the veil We were never free Lanterns and steel Side by side The war turned away And the world survived