She's like flowers,
she's like willows.
What a green spring it is,
but we have to part.
Don't say a word,let's weep silently.
At east of river,
at west of river,
the butterflies fly in the sky,
but i just can't find you.
Without a word,yearn for you desperately.
花似伊，柳似伊。
花柳青春人别离。
低头双泪垂。
长江东，长江西。
两岸鸳鸯两处飞。
相逢知几时。
This lyrical short verse, composed by Northern Song luminary Ouyang Xiu during his politically tumultuous middle age, embodies the wanyue (婉约) style's emotional authenticity. Written amidst repeated demotions that left him physically and spiritually exhausted, the compact poem channels profound melancholy—perhaps reflecting official displacement or personal heartache. Blending folk-song directness with scholarly refinement, it stands as a masterclass in Song lyricism's poignant subtlety.
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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View All Poets →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.