"Song of Sorrow", a poem by Princess Xijun of Jiangdu and Wusun, written in the 2nd century B.C.

Source:

Kern, Martin (2004). "The Poetry of Han Historiography". Early Medieval China. 10–11 (1): 23–65.

via

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Xijun

Liu Xijun (Chinese: 劉細君; pinyin: Liú Xìjūn; Wade–Giles: Liu Hsi-chün, born circa 123, died 101 B.C.), also known as Princess Xijun (細君公主), Princess of Jiangdu (Chinese: 江都公主) or the Princess of Wusun (Chinese: 烏孫公主), was a princess of the Han dynasty sent to marry the King of Wusun as marriage alliance. This poem said to be by her is one of the earliest known Chinese poems attributable to a named woman.

The poem:

悲愁歌

吾家嫁我兮天一方，

遠托異國兮烏孫王。

穹廬為室兮旃為牆，

以肉為食兮酪為漿。

居常土思兮心內傷，

願為黃鵠兮歸故鄉。

Romanisation (in reconstructed Old Chinese):

prɯl zrɯw kaːl

ŋaː kraː kraː ŋaːlʔ ɢeː qʰl'iːn qliɡ paŋ,

ɢʷanʔ l̥ʰaːɡ lɯɡs kʷɯːɡ ɢeː qaː suːn ɢʷaŋ.

kʰʷɯŋ ra ɢʷal hliɡ ɢeː tjan ɢʷal zaŋ,

lɯʔ njuɡ ɢʷal ɦljɯɡ ɢeː ɡ·raːɡ ɢʷal ʔsaŋ.

kas djaŋ l̥ʰaːʔ snɯ ɢeː slɯm nuːbs hljaŋ,

ŋʷans ɢʷal ɡʷaːŋ kuːɡ ɢeː klul kaːs qʰaŋ.

Romanisation (with modernised spelling):

Bēichóu gē

Wú jiā jià wǒ xī tiān yīfāng,

Yuǎn tuō yìguó xī wū sūn wáng.

Qiónglú wèi shì xī zhān wèi qiáng,

Yǐ ròu wèi shí xī lào wèi jiāng.

Jū cháng tǔ sī xī xīn nèishāng,

Yuàn wéi huáng hú xī guī gùxiāng.

English translation (by Kern):

Song of Sorrow

My family married me off to the edge of the world

Far away to the strange land of the Wusun king

A domed hut is my chamber, the felt my walls

Meat is my food, fermented milk my drink

Living here, I long for my land, and my heart aches

Wishing I could be a yellow swan, and return to my old home.

Note: The yellow swan (黃鵠, huánghú) is a legendary bird in China that can fly nonstop for a thousand Chinese miles.