Now that a candle-shadow stands on the screen of carven marble
And the River of Heaven slants and the morning stars are low,
Are you sorry for having stolen the potion that has set you
Over purple seas and blue skies, to brood through the long nights?
Poem translator: Kiang Kanghu
云母屏风烛影深，长河渐落晓星沉。
嫦娥应悔偷灵药，碧海青天夜夜心。
Seven-character-quatrain
This poem takes the mythological story of Chang'e flying to the moon as its subject, but rather than stopping at the plot of Chang'e swallowing the elixir and ascending to heaven, it employs rich imagination to depict her lonely life in the moon palace afterwards. Through this image, the poet projects his own reflections, expressing sorrow about his real-life circumstances.
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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