Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
- Poetry of Yan Shu

《踏莎行·祖席离歌》

English Rendering

A farewell song was sung, on a gallery a parting banquet took place,

As I looked back, dust with a flowery air had already us separated.

Among the woods she stood, her horse neighed,

Off I rowed following the turn of waves.


Depressed is my soul in an ornate pavilion up on high, still severed is my gaze.

There is only sunset sending off ripples far and away.

Perpetual and pervasive without end is my parting sorrow,

As expansive as the sky and the earth is my yearning that pervades.

Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass by Yan Shu
Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass by Yan Shu

Original Text (中文原文)

祖席离歌,长亭别宴,香尘已隔犹回面。

居人匹马映林嘶,行人去棹依波转。

画阁魂销,高楼目断,斜阳只送平波远。

无穷无尽是离愁,天涯地角寻思遍。

Analysis & Context

By Yan Shu

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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