Li Bai: Thoughts of Longing For Each Other

 

[updated October 2022]

 

Thoughts of Longing For Each Other

长 相 思
日 色 欲 尽 花 含 烟
月 明 如 素 愁 不 眠。
赵 瑟 初 停 风 凰 柱
蜀 琴 欲 秦 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 时 横 波 目
今 作 流 泪 泉。
不 信 妾 肠 断
归 来 看 取 明 镜 前。
Chang Xiang Si

Ri se yu jin hua han yan
Yue ming ru su chou bu mian.
Zhao se chu ting feng huang zhu
Shu qin yu qin yuan yang xian.
Ci qu you yi wu ren chuan
Yuan sui chun feng ji yan ran
Yi jun tiao tiao ge qin tian.

Xi shi heng bo mu
Jin zuo liu lei quan.
Bu xin qie chang duan
Gui lai kan qu ming jing qian.

Thoughts of Longing For Each Other (Melody)

Sunset colors, flowers contain mists
Sadness and insomnia, moonlight high and bright like white silk.
Zhao stringed instrument, on the neck are a couple of carved phoenixes
Shu qin begins to play chords, harmonious like a mandarin drake and duck.
This melody has meaning that cannot be described or communicated
Original sounds follow the spring winds to Yanran.

She recalls their separation as remote as the blue sky
In former times her widespread beauty like waves on water.
Today tears flowing like a springhead
Hard to believe her insides broken up
When he returns, he may not recognize her appearance.

 

Notes:

Thoughts of Longing For Each Other: a melody

Zhao: A stringed musical instrument now known as the  guzheng.

Shu qin: Ancient stringed musical instrument now known as a  guqin.

Yanran: An area north of the capital city Chang’an (Xi’an).