See the Bian River flow
And the Si River flow!
By Ancient Ferry,mingling waves,they go,
The Southern hills reflect my woe.
My thought stretches endlessly,
My grief wretches endlessly,
So thus until my husband comes to me,
Alone on moon-lit balcony.
汴水流，泗水流，流到瓜州古渡头。
吴山点点愁。
思悠悠，恨悠悠，恨到归时方始休。
月明人倚楼。
Bai Juyi (772-846)was a popular realistic poet who served as official in the south of the Yangzi River.This lyric depicts the longing of a young woman for the return of her husband.Leaning on the railings of a balcony on a moon-lit night,she sees the two rivers meet at the ancient ferry where people used to bid farewell,but where she cannot find her husband home-coming,so she feels the hills there saddened by her grief.
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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