Thousands upon thousands of hate, in front and behind all mountains.
Those by the side say my sedan chair is spacious.
Does not say being sheltered by it, [makes it] difficult to look out to him.
Tonight the river head lined with trees, the boat will be moored over there.
Who knows when he will fall asleep in this heat?
Should he absolutely not be able to sleep, who is to fan him?
万万千千恨，前前后后山。
傍人道我轿儿宽。
不道被他遮得、望伊难。
今夜江头树，船儿系那边。
知他热后甚时眠。
万万不成眠后、有谁扇。
Song of the South is originally a song title from the Tang Dynasty musical houses, later a category/genre(?) of poetry/song that follows a particular tune.
The lyrics/poem composed by Song Dynasty poet Xin Qi Ji, speaks from a female’s point of view, vividly depicting a woman who is foolishly in love, longing for her lover.
This woman is deprived of the right to publicly bid her lover farewell, only able to hide within her sedan, quietly watching her sweetheart leave afar, perhaps the man does not even know she is there, yet she is still ever so passionately devoted, worried whether he can sleep well in the summer heat, leaving us with this ending line that holds the richest of feelings.
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.
Journey through the dynasties. Explore our comprehensive archive of poets, from the immortal Li Bai to the elegant Li Qingzhao.
View All Poets →CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts.