To One Unnamed I
- Poetry of Li Shangyin

《無題之一》

中文原文( Chinese )

來是空言去絕蹤，月斜樓上五更鐘。

夢為遠別啼難喚，書被催成墨未濃。

蠟照半籠金翡翠，麝熏微度繡芙蓉。

劉郎已恨蓬山遠，更隔蓬山一萬重。

English Translation

You said you would come, but you did not, and you left me with no other trace

Than the moonlight on your tower at the fifth-watch bell.

I cry for you forever gone, I cannot waken yet,

I try to read your hurried note, I find the ink too pale.

...Blue burns your candle in its kingfisher-feather lantern

And a sweet breath steals from your hibiscus-broidered curtain.

But far beyond my reach is the Enchanted Mountain,

And you are on the other side, ten thousand peaks away.

Seven-character-regular-verse

- Last updated: 2024-03-22 22:21:35

Why Chinese poems is so special?: The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.

How to read a Chinese poem?: Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

List of Chinese poets