To My Wife From Qiupu
- Poetry of Li Bai (Li Po)

《秋浦寄内》

English Rendering

I’ve left you for a thousand miles to stay

And write to you, tired, on the waters grey.

Though we live not the same life from day to day,

Can we not keep the separation away?


Three years have passed since I came to the west;

No message has come to me from the north.

Rosy cheeks must have faded, I guess;

The hair turned white cannot be blackened, alas!


A traveler coming from the capital

Has brought a letter written by you.

The mountains and streams separate us far,

But two minds made one will not drift apart.

To My Wife From Qiupu by Li Bai (Li Po)
To My Wife From Qiupu by Li Bai (Li Po)

Original Text (中文原文)

我今寻阳去,辞家千里馀。

结荷倦水宿,却寄大雷书。

虽不同辛苦,怆离各自居。

我自入秋浦,三年北信疏。

红颜愁落尽,白发不能除。

有客自梁苑,手携五色鱼。

开鱼得锦字,归问我何如。

江山虽道阻,意合不为殊。

Analysis & Context

Composed in the autumn-winter of 755 CE during Li Bai's stay in Qiupu (modern Chizhou, Anhui), this epistolary poem was written to his wife Zong Shi. As the An Lushan Rebellion loomed, Li Bai faced political disgrace following his involvement with Prince Li Lin's campaign, plunging him into his most destitute and rootless period. More than a mere letter, the poem reveals a solitary soul's profound yearning for emotional anchorage amidst turmoil, blending personal sorrow, historical tragedy, and marital devotion.

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.

The Masters' Directory

Journey through the dynasties. Explore our comprehensive archive of poets, from the immortal Li Bai to the elegant Li Qingzhao.

View All Poets →
© CN-Poetry.com Chinese Poems in English  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts.