O'er far-flung wooded plain wreaths of smoke weave a screen,
Cold mountains stretch into a belt of sorrowful green.
The dusk invades the tower high
Where someone sighs a longing sigh.
On marble steps she waits in vain
But to see birds fly back amain.
Where should she gaze to find her dear?
She sees but stations far and near.
平林漠漠烟如织，寒山一带伤心碧。
暝色入高楼，有人楼上愁。
玉阶空伫立，宿鸟归飞急。
何处是归程？长亭更短亭。(更短亭 一作：连短亭)
As early as the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127),this poem and the following were considered to be the two earliest literary lyrics written by Li Bai (701-762).This poem describes the sorrow of a young woman who mounts a high tower at dusk,looks far into the wooded plain and the belt-like mountains,but fails to find her husband oh his way home.
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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