"The sun has set, and a mist is in the flowers;
And the moon grows very white and people sad and sleepless.
A Chao harp has j ust been laid mute on its phrenix-holder,
And a Shu l ute begins to sound its mandari n-duck strings .
Since nobody can bear to you the burden of my song,
Would that it might follow the spring wind to Yen-jan Mou ntain.
I think of you far away, beyond the blue sky,
And my eyes that once were sparkling
Are now a well of tears .
...Oh, if ever you should doubt this aching of my heart,
Here in my bright mirror come back and look at me!"
Original Poem:
「长相思 · 其二」
李白
日色欲尽花含烟，月明如素愁不眠。
赵瑟初停凤凰柱，蜀琴欲奏鸳鸯弦。
此曲有意无人传，愿随春风寄燕然。
忆君迢迢隔青天。
昔日横波目，今作流泪泉。
不信妾断肠，归来看取明镜前。
Interpretation:
This poem describes a woman’s longing for her man.
The poet writes, “The sun is setting, the twilight is hazy, the stamens are covered with light smoke, the bright moonlight is like a white gauze, but the heroine can’t sleep because she misses her lover. She looked at the moon and thought, playing the zither to send love, want to play the Shu Qin again, but afraid of touching the mandarin ducks strings. She prays that the sound of the zither will be sent to her lover far away in Yanran with the spring breeze. Because of the pain of her longing, her eyes, which used to be full of love, have become a clear spring of tears today. The poem expresses the feelings of the characters by describing their specific activities and using techniques such as imagination. The poem is subtle, sentimental and touching.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Li Bai (李白), 701 ~ 762 A.D., whose ancestral home was in Gansu, was preceded by Li Guang, a general of the Han Dynasty. Tang poetry is one of the brightest constellations in the history of Chinese literature, and one of the brightest stars is Li Bai.
