Mother bids farewell to her son, and son bids farewell to his mother. There is no light in the day and the cry is painful. ——Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty, "Mother Farewell Son"
Translation: Mother bids farewell to her son, and her son bids farewell to her mother. The sunshine during the day seems to have lost its luster due to sadness, and the crying is infinitely miserable.
Pull the curtains to worship the mother river and go to Liang. I will worry about it in vain when my eyes dry up with tears. —— Huang Jingren, Qing Dynasty, "Farewell to My Old Mother"
Translation: Because I was going to Heliang to make a living, I raised the curtains and reluctantly wanted to say goodbye to my elderly mother. I couldn't help but see the gray-haired old mother. The tears continued, and the tears dried up.
The thread in a loving mother’s hand, the clothes on a wanderer’s body. ——"The Song of the Wandering Son" by Meng Jiao of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: A loving mother uses the needle and thread in her hand to make clothes for her son who is traveling far away.
A loving mother leans on her door with love, but a wanderer’s journey is painful. ——"Mo Xuan Tu No. 1" by Wang Mian of the Yuan Dynasty
Translation: The kind mother leans on the door and looks forward to her child, but the wanderer who travels far away is so miserable!
What kind of father is there without a father? Without a mother, what can you rely on? When you go out, you will hold your shirt, and when you enter, you will be exhausted. ——Pre-Qin·Anonymous "Polygonium"
Translation: If you don't have a biological father, who can you rely on? What can I rely on if I don’t have my biological mother? I feel sad when I go out for a walk, and I don’t know where to stop when I enter.
I know from afar that my brothers have climbed to a high place, and there is one less person planting dogwood trees everywhere. ——Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty, "Remembering the Shandong Brothers on September 9th"
Translation: When I think of my brothers wearing dogwoods and climbing to high places from afar, I will also feel regret because I am missing.
The war rages on for three months, and a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold. ——"Spring Hope" by Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: The continuous war has lasted for more than half a year. Letters from home are rare, and one letter is worth ten thousand taels of gold.
When relatives and friends in Luoyang ask each other, their hearts are filled with ice in a jade pot. ?——"Farewell to Xin Jian at the Furong Tower" by Wang Changling of the Tang Dynasty
Translation: My friend, if relatives and friends in Luoyang ask about me, just say that I am still a jade pot with a heart of ice and stick to my faith!
Tonight, when the moon is bright and everyone looks around, I don’t know who is missing my autumn thoughts. ?——Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty, "Looking at the Moon on the Fifteenth Night and Mailing it to Dr. Du"
Translation: It is late at night, and the cool autumn dew quietly wets the sweet-scented osmanthus in the courtyard. Tonight, the bright moon is in the sky, and people are all admiring the moon. I wonder whose house those vast autumn thoughts fall on?
When the young boy left home and his boss came back, his local pronunciation remained unchanged and his hair on his temples faded. ——He Zhizhang of the Tang Dynasty, "Returning to Hometown"
Translation: I left my hometown when I was young and came back in my old age. Although my local accent has not changed, the hair on my temples has become thinner.
Reference materials
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