To One Unnamed I
- Poetry of Li Shangyin

《无题·来是空言去绝踪》

English Rendering

You said you would come, but you did not, and you left me with no other trace

Than the moonlight on your tower at the fifth-watch bell.

I cry for you forever gone, I cannot waken yet,

I try to read your hurried note, I find the ink too pale.

...Blue burns your candle in its kingfisher-feather lantern

And a sweet breath steals from your hibiscus-broidered curtain.

But far beyond my reach is the Enchanted Mountain,

And you are on the other side, ten thousand peaks away.

To One Unnamed I by Li Shangyin
To One Unnamed I by Li Shangyin

Original Text (中文原文)

来是空言去绝踪,月斜楼上五更钟。

梦为远别啼难唤,书被催成墨未浓。

蜡照半笼金翡翠,麝熏微度绣芙蓉。

刘郎已恨蓬山远,更隔蓬山一万重。

Analysis & Context

Seven-character-regular-verse

This poem by Li Shangyin, a renowned poet of the Tang Dynasty, is a love poem expressing a man’s profound longing for his distant beloved. The poem is marked by delicate emotions and a masterful structure. By intertwining dreams with reality, it portrays the pain of separation and the steadfastness of love. The references to Liu Lang and Mount Penglai enrich the poem with cultural depth, adding a touch of melancholy and depth.

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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