Green,green spreads the bank-side grass;
Lush,lush grow the garden willows.
Fine,fine stands upstairs the lass,
Fair,fair her shape behind the windows.
Bright,bright beams her rouged face;
Soft,soft are her soft-skinned hands.
Once a singing-girl with poise and grace,
Now she's wife to one who roves the lands.
As he wanders in an unknown zone,
It's hard for her to go to bed alone.
青青河畔草，郁郁园中柳。
盈盈楼上女，皎皎当窗牖。
娥娥红粉妆，纤纤出素手。
昔为倡家女，今为荡子妇。
荡子行不归，空床难独守。
This poem is essentially lyrics—verses meant to be sung—expressing a young wife's yearning for love, for the simple life of mutual support and affection between husband and wife, even the ideal of equal respect.
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.
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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