The moon rose from the sea,
it's when we both yearned each other.
What a long night we sighed,
just kept thinking of the love we've had.
Turned out the candle light,i walked under the moonshine.
Wore the silky shirt,i felt the dew sleep on my shoulders.
Sorry,baby,i couldn't scissor a piece of moonshine to you,
just wished we could encounter each other in the beautiful dream.
海上生明月，天涯共此时。
情人怨遥夜，竟夕起相思。
灭烛怜光满，披衣觉露滋。
不堪盈手赠，还寝梦佳期。
Composed during the High Tang period while Zhang Jiuling served as chancellor, this poem uses the moon as a lyrical motif to express profound yearning. While ostensibly about missing distant loved ones, its deeper currents reveal the poet's concerns for ideals, kindred spirits, sovereign, and national destiny. The title's "longing afar" encompasses both specific individuals and lofty aspirations, with moonlight illuminating the poem's emotional depth.
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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