Two Verses on Parting
- Poetry of Yu Xuanji

《送别二首》

English Rendering

1.

These nights in our chamber of

love fulfilled your expectations;

hardly did I count

on you, my lover, parting.

Dozing off, I cannot tell

where the clouds have gone;

the moths of the wilds are flitting

‘round the guttering lamp.


2.

Water adapts unresisting

to the shape of the vessel it’s in;

obviously a definite form

cannot be fixed for good.

Once the clouds have gone,

they have no mind to return.

Wistful in the springtime breeze

over the river of an eve,

a mandarin duck without its flock

flies away alone.

Two Verses on Parting by Yu Xuanji
Two Verses on Parting by Yu Xuanji

Original Text (中文原文)

秦楼几夜惬心期,不料仙郎有别离。

睡觉莫言云去处,残灯一盏野蛾飞。


水柔逐器知难定,云出无心肯再归。

惆怅春风楚江暮,鸳鸯一只失群飞。

Analysis & Context

By Yu Xuanji

Qin (秦) was a section of Chang'an. Qin2lou2 (秦楼) is short for 秦楼楚馆 or "pleasure district." But it could be just a proper name. Lou2 (楼) is just "tower" and often "inn." Yu Xuanji went out for the evening. Probably to somewhere nice. And she had a goodbye dinner with an immortal (仙) which means he was probably a Daoist. Lang2 (郎) can mean either "an official" or a "young man." She said goodbye to her 仙郎, went to bed, told herself not to think about him, and watched a moth circle her lamp.

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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