To My Friends Li Dan and Yuanxi
- Poetry of Wei Yingwu

《寄李儋元锡》

English Rendering

We met last among flowers, among flowers we parted,

And here, a year later, there are flowers again;

But, with ways of the world too strange to foretell,

Spring only brings me grief and fatigue.

I am sick, and I think of my home in the country-

Ashamed to take pay while so many are idle.

...In my western tower, because of your promise,

I have watched the full moons come and go.

To My Friends Li Dan and Yuanxi by Wei Yingwu
To My Friends Li Dan and Yuanxi by Wei Yingwu

Original Text (中文原文)

去年花里逢君别,今日花开又一年。

世事茫茫难自料,春愁黯黯独成眠。

身多疾病思田里,邑有流亡愧俸钱。

闻道欲来相问讯,西楼望月几回圆。

Analysis & Context

Seven-character-regular-verse

Composed during the Dali era of Emperor Daizong's reign while Wei Yingwu served as governor of Chuzhou, this poem emerges from a period of Tang decline marked by border conflicts and public hardship. Hearing of old friend Li Dan's impending visit, the poet pens this meditation where spring blossoms intertwine with profound longing and powerlessness toward turbulent times—a masterful fusion of scene and sentiment that mourns without despair.

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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