The East Wind Blows Over the Water (The Lover's Return)
- Poetry of Li Yu

《阮郎归·呈郑王十二弟》

English Rendering

The east wind blows over the water, the sun sits by the hill,

Though spring has come, the idleness persists.

Fallen blossom is scattered amid wine and tinkling pendants by the rail,

She listens to playing and singing in a drunken daze.

The pendants are now silent, her evening wear undone,

For what man's sake is she to dress her hair?

Her fair appearance too will pass as time slips by,

At dusk, she leans alone upon the railing.

The East Wind Blows Over the Water (The Lover's Return) by Li Yu
The East Wind Blows Over the Water (The Lover's Return) by Li Yu

Original Text (中文原文)

东风吹水日衔山,春来长是闲。

落花狼藉酒阑珊,笙歌醉梦间。

春睡觉,晚妆残,凭谁整翠鬟?

留连光景惜朱颜,黄昏独倚阑。

Analysis & Context

By Li Yu

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.

Reading Between the Lines

Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.

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