A Lofty Mansion
- Poetry of Anonymous

《西北有高楼》

English Rendering

A lofty mansion towers in the northwest,

Its pointed roof with drifting clouds abreast.

O'er latticed windows hangs a satin blind;

Three stairways lead to spacious halls behind.

From upstairs come the sounds of lute and song;

How the music echoes sad and long!


Who on earth can play such painful tunes?

Has Qi Liang's widow been reborn so soon?

The Clear Shang tune resounds in evening breeze;

Half way through,it lingers o'er the trees.


One strike on the chord,then come three sighs 

In depressed remorse and sobbing cries.

It's not her bitter lot that I regret;

I'm sad that bosom friends are rare to get.

Oh that we are a couple of wild swans,

Soaring to the skies ever on and on.

A Lofty Mansion by Anonymous
A Lofty Mansion by Anonymous

Original Text (中文原文)

西北有高楼,上与浮云齐。

交疏结绮窗,阿阁三重阶。

上有弦歌声,音响一何悲!

谁能为此曲?无乃杞梁妻。

清商随风发,中曲正徘徊。

一弹再三叹,慷慨有余哀。

不惜歌者苦,但伤知音稀。

愿为双鸿鹄,奋翅起高飞。

Analysis & Context

Anonymous

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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