After dressing my hair,
I alone climb the stair.
On the railings I lean,
To view the river scene.
Many sails pass me by,
But not the one for which wait l.
The slanting sun sheds a sympathetic ray,
The carefree river carries it away.
My heart breaks at the sight
Of the islet with duckweed white.
梳洗罢，独倚望江楼。
过尽千帆皆不是，斜晖脉脉水悠悠。
肠断白蘋洲。
Wen Tingyun (813-870) was traditionally regarded as the first major lyricist.His lyrics are richly embellished and full of implicit meaning,but this poem simply narrates in the folk-song manner the sorrow of a young woman who,gazing on the river and the islet where people used to bid farewell,is waiting all day long for the return of her husband.
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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