Source
I miss you every day and don’t see you, I drink the water of the Yangtze River. It comes from "Divination: I Live at the Head of the Yangtze River" written by Li Zhiyi in the Northern Song Dynasty. The whole poem is as follows.
I live at the head of the Yangtze River, and you live at the end of the Yangtze River. I miss you every day without seeing you, and drink water from the Yangtze River every day.
When will this water stop? When has this hatred ended? I only hope that your heart will be like mine, and I will live up to my love.
Verse Translation
I live at the source of the Yangtze River, and you live at the end of the Yangtze River. I miss you every day and never see you, but we drink the water of the Yangtze River together.
When will the endless river dry up, and when will the bitter hatred of separation cease. I only hope that your heart will stay as strong as mine, and you will not let down my infatuated love.
Creative background
In the second year of Chongning in the Northern Song Dynasty (1103), Li Zhiyi was demoted to Taiping Prefecture. Misfortunes never come singly. First, his daughter, son, and wife Hu Shuxiu died one after another, and Li Zhiyi fell to the bottom of his life. At this time, a young and beautiful strange woman appeared, the local stunning singer Yang Shu. Li Zhiyi fell in love with Yang Shu at first sight and regarded her as a close friend. One day, Li Zhiyi took Yang Shu to the Yangtze River. Facing her confidante who knew both cold and hot, she felt tenderness in her heart and wrote this love poem that has been passed down through the ages.
Related expansion
1. Li Zhiyi (1038～1117), poet of the Northern Song Dynasty. His courtesy name is Uncle Duan, and his nickname is Guxi layman and Guxi old farmer. He is the author of one volume of "Guxi Ci", 50 volumes of "Guxi layman's first collection" and two volumes of "Guxi inscriptions and postscripts".
2. The entire poem of "Bu Suanzi·I Live at the Head of the Yangtze River" revolves around the water of the Yangtze River, expressing the longing for love between men and women and the sorrow of separation. The first part describes the distance between us and the deep longing for each other. The second film describes the heroine's persistent pursuit and eager expectations for love. The whole poem is full of emotions, layer by layer and then looping back and forth, with emotions rising and falling in just a few sentences. The whole poem has the flavor of folk songs and is famous for its love language.