To One Unnamed II
- Poetry of Li Shangyin

《无题·飒飒东风细雨来》

English Rendering

A misty rain comes blowing with a wind from the east,

And wheels faintly thunder beyond Hibiscus Pool.

...Round the golden-toad lock, incense is creeping;

The jade tiger tells, on its cord, of water being drawn

A great lady once, from behind a screen, favoured a poor youth;

A fairy queen brought a bridal mat once for the ease of a prince and then vanished.

...Must human hearts blossom in spring, like all other flowers?

And of even this bright flame of love, shall there be only ashes?

To One Unnamed II by Li Shangyin
To One Unnamed II by Li Shangyin

Original Text (中文原文)

飒飒东风细雨来,芙蓉塘外有轻雷。

金蟾啮锁烧香入,玉虎牵丝汲井回。

贾氏窥帘韩掾少,宓妃留枕魏王才。

春心莫共花争发,一寸相思一寸灰!

Analysis & Context

Seven-character-regular-verse

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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