Last year we bade adieu
Outside the town;
Snow flew like willow down.
This year spring dies,
Like snow willow down flies,
But I can't come back to see you.
The screen uprolled, to wine I invite the moon bright;
Through the window the breeze brings in dew.
The Moon Goddess seems to care
For the swallows in pair.
She sheds her light
Into their dream on painted beam.
去年相送，余杭门外，飞雪似杨花。
今年春尽，杨花似雪，犹不见还家。
对酒卷帘邀明月，风露透窗纱。
恰似姮娥怜双燕，分明照、画梁斜。
This short poem shall fall into the category of his sentimental poetry profile, which may seem pale in comparison with his highly recognised poems in the heroic and robust style. The romantic sentiments of the young wife is rather implied under the line through symbolism rather than on the line by using words like “I miss you. ” Yet the vocabulary used is simple everyday language.
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.