Sent to a Friend in a Late Spring Mood
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《暮春有感寄友人》

English Rendering

The chatter of orioles

breaks up my dream

I put on a little makeup

to change my tear-stained face

a young moon

shines through the bamboo shade

the smooth river

fumes with late night mist

swallows are bringing mud in their beaks

to pack their nests

bees are gathering pollen

from open flowers

I alone feel yearning

without any limit

reciting my own poems

staring up through the pines.

Sent to a Friend in a Late Spring Mood by Yu Xuanji -
Sent to a Friend in a Late Spring Mood by Yu Xuanji

Original Text (中文原文)

莺语惊残梦,轻妆改泪容。

竹阴初月薄,江静晚烟浓。

湿觜衔泥燕,香须采蕊蜂。

独怜无限思,吟罢亚枝松。

Meaning & Analysis

Five-character poem

Related Themes

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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