Su Wu to His Wife
- Poetry of Su Wu

《别妻》

English Rendering

As man and wife we ever unite;

We never doubt about our love.

Let us enjoy our fill tonight

As tender as a cooing dove!

Thinking of the way I should go,

I rise to see if time is due.

The stars appear dim high and low;

Adieu! I must bid you adieu.

Away to battlefield I’ll hie;

I know not if we’ll meet again.

Holding your hand, I give a sign;

My tears of farewell fall like rain.

Enjoy the spring flowers in view!

Do not forget our time in glee!

Safe and sound, I’ll come back to you;

Even killed, my love won’t die with me.

Su Wu to His Wife by Su Wu
Su Wu to His Wife by Su Wu

Original Text (中文原文)

结发为夫妻,恩爱两不疑。欢娱在今夕,燕婉及良时。

征夫怀远路,起视夜何其。参晨皆已没,去去从此辞。

行役在战场,相见未有期。握手一长欢,泪为生别滋。

努力爱春华,莫忘欢乐时。生当复来归,死当长相思。

Analysis & Context

This poem depicts the affection between husband and wife in its first four lines, portrays their late-night farewell in lines five to eight, describes their parting at dawn in lines nine to twelve, and concludes with mutual encouragement and vows in the final four lines.

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.

The Masters' Directory

Journey through the dynasties. Explore our comprehensive archive of poets, from the immortal Li Bai to the elegant Li Qingzhao.

View All Poets →
© CN-Poetry.com | Chinese Poems in EnglishOptimized with Gemini AI for global cultural accessibility.
AI-AUGMENTED SYSTEM
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

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.