Last Night the Wind and Rain Together Blew (Crows Crying at Night)
- Poetry of Li Yu

《乌夜啼·昨夜风兼雨》

English Translation

Last night the wind and rain together blew,

The wall-curtains rustled in their autumn song.

The candle died, the water-clock was exhausted,

I rose and sat, but could not be at peace.

Man's affairs are like the flow of floodwater,

A life is just like floating in a dream.

I should more often go drunken through the country,

For otherwise I could not bear to live.

By Li Yu

中文原文( Chinese )

昨夜风兼雨，帘帏飒飒秋声。

烛残漏断频欹枕，起坐不能平。

世事漫随流水，算来一梦浮生。

醉乡路稳宜频到，此外不堪行。

- Last updated: 2025-06-07 08:02:34

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

List of Chinese poets