Li Shangyin 李商隱 Lǐ Shāngyǐn (812-858) is the love poet par excellence in the Chinese tradition. His poems, particularly his ‘Untitled Poems’, set a trend for later Chinese love poetry.

 

板桥[1]晓别

回望高城落晓河[2],

长亭窗户压微波[3]。

水仙欲上鲤鱼[4]去,

一夜芙蓉红泪[5]多。

这是一首送别之作,情深而不俗气,典雅而意味绵长,且十分富有想象力。

注释:

[1]板桥:指开封城西的板桥。

[2]晓河:指银河。

[3]微波:指银河之波,也指长亭下水渠之波。

[4]鲤鱼:典故出自《列仙传》,一名赵国人琴高,会神仙术,曾乘赤鲤来,留月余复入水去。

[5]红泪:《拾遗记》记录,魏文帝美人薛灵芸离别父母登车上路,用王唾壶承泪,壶呈红色,及至京师,壶中泪凝如血。

Parting at Morning on the Wooden Bridge

The Milky Way fades over the high city wall;

The parting pavilion overlooks the rippling stream.

The fairy riding a carp goes up the waterfall,

Leaving the lotus bloom shed red tears in her dream.

Note:The poet describes the parting of two lovers at dawn,comparing the one who leaves to a fairy and the other who stays to a lotus flower.