A cool-matted silvery bed; but no dreams...
An evening sky as green as water, shadowed with tender clouds;
But far off over the southern rivers the calling of a wildgoose,
And here a twelve-story building, lonely under the moon.
Original Poem:
「瑶瑟怨」
温庭筠
冰簟银床梦不成， 碧天如水夜云轻。
雁声远过潇湘去， 十二楼中月自明。
Interpretation:
In ancient Chinese poetry, the mournful sound of the serpent is often associated with the sorrow of parting. The title of the poem implies that the poem is about the sadness of separation.
In the first line, the heroine is written positively. There is no date for the reunion, so she can only send her love to the dream. However, when she woke up, she realized that she had not even dreamed of the meeting, and the only thing that accompanied her was the ice woven mat and silver bed that was soaked with the coolness of the lonely autumn night.
The second sentence temporarily put down the heroine’s feelings, put aside a to write the scene, a clear and cold light far blue sky night moon map, the autumn night sinking, the long sky blue, cold moon like water, floating clouds such as yarn. This scene, not only set off the heroine’s soft and pretty attitude, but also set off her cold and lonely heart sadness.
The third sentence is written from the perspective of hearing. In the hazy moonlight, the geese flying high in the sky are hard to see with the naked eye, but only when they hear the sound of the geese calling. The autumn night is silent, the moonlight is bleak, and the sound of the geese adds to the bleak atmosphere. The geese can send a letter, the sound of geese going south, needless to say, at this moment, the heroine’s full of thoughts are also drawn to the good man detained by the Xiaoxiang.
The last line goes back to the visual perspective of the scene, only sketching the “twelve floors” covered by the bright moon. Because the twelve floors are said to be the residence of immortals, the poet uses them to describe the splendor of the pavilions and the softness and brightness of the masters in the floors. The word “since” in the phrase “the moon is bright” is used in a very good way. Facing the bright moon, people will evoke the expectation of reunion.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Wen Ting-yun (温庭筠) was a native of Qixian County, Shanxi, circa 813-870 AD. Wen Tingyun was a professional writer of late Tang Dynasty lyrics, whose achievements and influence were greater than that of poetry, and was once known as the “originator of the flowers”.
